On the Edge of All Reason
by Star Rhapsody
Summary: [AU][MugenFuu]Tokyo is a distopia in the making with murders taking place at every corner. However, nobody bats an eye to this. But when Fuu is kidnapped, she realizes the plan laid out for her could end up killing her unless she finds a way out. [Fin]
1. Prologue

**AN: **Alrighty then. This is supposed to be a sort of 'experiment' on my part. I've never written a Samurai Champloo fic, so just bear with me here. I know I have plenty of unfinished fics, but here's something to announce: They're all on indefinite hiatus, besides When Winter Met Summer…But I guess you could consider it on hiatus too, since it takes me so long to update. I feel horrible saying this, but quite a few of them were written a while back, and now I really don't have interests in them. I'm a horrible person, I know.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Samurai Champloo, but goshdarnit, I wish I did.

**On the Edge of All Reason**

**Prologue**

It never occurred to Fuu how she got herself in these situations. She assumed she was naturally prone to bad things, things that would otherwise result in bad consequences. Sighing, she turned to look out the window of the rather dismal apartment. The outside area wasn't much more appealing either. The grass looked as if it had been left in a permanent drought, while the few flowers that had bloomed at one point or another wilted and shed their crisp petals.

She raked a hand through her chestnut hair, wondering why she had to be the one out of all these people. She was just trying to live her life like a normal civilian. For Christ's sake—she was only 17 years old, and already she landed herself in this mess!

_Pull yourself together, Fuu…Panicking always makes things worse! _However that thought seemingly did nothing to comfort her. Panicking was inevitable, and she wasn't one to be reasonable. She sent a sideways glance at the steel door, wondering when someone would show up and toss her the key to her freedom. Or perhaps the key that would end up locking her in this dump forever. Morbid thoughts danced around her head as she visualized a shadowed figure slashing her neck, or suffocating her, or even throwing her out the window…It was three stories after all.

Fuu decided to push those thoughts to back of her head and entertain herself with the idea that she'd be rescued within moments. The police would kick down the door and maneuver her towards her very escape. She'd go home and all would be well. A cynical laugh escaped her lips at the wishful thinking only a teenage girl would come up with.

Her thoughts began to drift back to how she got herself in this mess anyway…It was rather swift, and if she had the boldness to say it aloud, rather sloppy.

_School had just been let out at 3:00, and she was more than glad to escape to the sanctuary of her own home. A small bounce was in her step when she remembered it was the weekend as well. The perfect time to sit around, eat, and be lazy. A childish giggle, borderline maniacal, almost escaped her lips. Not that she cared._

_She was just about to unlock the door to her own apartment, when something slammed into her side._

_An agitated yell erupted from her throat as she turned to see what had collided into her. However, the chance didn't present itself as something hard and metallic made contact with her head, knocking her unconscious. _

Now that she thought about it, it seemed odd that whoever attacked her decided to do so right in the hallway where people could easily hear whatever activity was presenting itself. Then again, these days most people didn't care what happened to others. In fact, everything was going downhill—the government was in control and ruled with an iron fist. Something ominous had happened behind the scenes, and Tokyo was left in the dark.

Caught up in her musings, she didn't notice the soft click of the door unlocking, nor did she pay any attention to the man who approached her.

The sudden feeling of someone watching her fell upon her conscience as she turned to look over her shoulder. A small yelp escaped her lips when she saw him.

"You're the one who kidnapped me!" She screeched, assailing him with many other words of contempt and annoyance.

The man merely stood there, feeling a headache approaching soon. _Damn it, I need aspirin before this bitch just kills me._

When no words were spoken, Fuu finally blew out a heavy sigh. "Just _who _are you anyways? And what would you want with me of all people? It's not like I have anything to offer."

Mugen raised a hand to his chin, rubbing the rough hairs growing on his chin. He stood there as if contemplating something. Fuu glanced at his eyes and traveled an invisible line to her chest. "You're right. You _don't _have much to offer. You have something…Just not a body, of course."

"Asshole!"

"Better get used to it."

Another irritated sigh was the only course of action Fuu could think to take. So far, he didn't seem like much of a threat…Besides bludgeoning her head, which hurt a lot to be honest, and of course sticking her in some apartment she didn't know. All signs pointed to kidnapping of course.

Her attention was suddenly snapped back to him when she noticed a long, sleek sword hanging off of his back. Her brows knitted together in contemplative silence.

"Why do you have that sword? This isn't the past, you know."

Mugen gave a careless look at the sword dangling innocently from his back. "It's effective."

Fuu screwed her face up into a look of disgust and curiosity. "Swords aren't even allowed in the streets as far as I can tell. It's illegal." She countered, wondering how he'd escape that one.

He merely smirked in that sort of aggravating way that made someone want to pull their hair out. "Tell me kid. What part of me looks _legal_?" It was a rhetorical question, though Fuu merely said 'nothing', beginning to wonder what it was he exactly did that required the assistance of a sword.

Instead of trekking further on the subject, Mugen threw his sword aside and less-than-gracefully jumped and landed on the couch, the remote control in his hand. Fuu edged away from him, sending him a wary look. Right now, he seemed rather mellow, mellow enough that any of her actions wouldn't faze him.

"Okay then…" She timidly poked her two pointer fingers together. "I'll just be going now, considering you seem to have no need for me…" With that said, she burst off the couch like a rocket waiting to launch, making a mad dash for the steel door.

Groaning, Mugen bent down to lift the sword off the ground before vaulting into the air. It was flying dangerously towards Fuu, though it arched right over her and landed in the wooden floorboards directly before her. She gulped before turning back to look at Mugen who didn't even seem to bat an eye at her antics. His attention was all on the TV.

"Figures…" She muttered. With a resigned sigh, she picked up the sword and held it gently around the hilt. It was beautiful, but deadly. In one precise moment, it could cleave off her head. She wouldn't even be able to see it coming. With it in her hands, she felt a source of empowerment. Looking towards Mugen, she realized she had a good chance of hitting him with it. Maybe not killing him, but good enough to stagger him for a few moments; she was told she had a lousy aim though.

_Well, now's a good time to perfect it! _Sticking her tongue out in concentration, she steadied her hand, moving it back and forth to make sure she had the right direction. Squeezing her eyes shut, she threw the sword in hopes of hitting her target.

"What the fu—"

Mugen rubbed his head, messing up the already-tousled hair upon his head as the sword fell to the ground with a loud clang. His narrowed gaze met Fuu, who merely smiled before wrenching the door open. _You've got to be kidding me! This guy expected to kidnap me, and I'm already out…Talk about pathetic. _She turned a corner, ready to race down the stairs, before something pulled at her sleeve. She screamed loudly before a hand clamped down on her mouth, forcing her to stop.

Once she was calming down, Mugen released his hand from her mouth.

"I hate you." She whispered.

Mugen simply grinned.

"You'll be hating me _so much _more after I'm through with you."

* * *

**AN: **Because one note wasn't enough! Please, please, please, if anyone does happen to read this fic (and actually enjoy it…-shudder-) don't badger me to finish it. It's a test run. Not an actual story. At least not now. I'm not quite sure, to be honest. –shrug- 


	2. The Rundown

**AN: **I'll be using some names that you probably wouldn't remember from the show (Heck, I didn't! I had to look them up!) Still experimenting with the fic by the way. Sooo…No complaining about it, please! Also, I'm writing first names first, last names last. If anyone cared…And forgive me for OOCness. But it happens. -shrug-

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Samurai Champloo.

**On the Edge of All Reason**

**Chapter One: The Rundown**

It had been a few hours since Fuu almost made her escape. Apparently she underestimated Mugen, something he kept bringing up just to spite her. It was as if his whole goal was to kidnap her to annoy her to no end. If somebody didn't restrain her now, she might go crazy.

The worst part was not knowing what he truly wanted out of her. He didn't offer to shed light on the situation either—rather he preferred to kick back and watch her almost suffer a stroke from over thinking.

Deciding that right now he wasn't going to be of any help, she began to explore the small apartment. There was a decent-sized kitchen, along with a refrigerator that was almost bare, save for the few beer bottles that littered the shelves and some tubs containing unknown food. She noticed the whole apartment looked a bit dull, with only two windows in the whole area, plus one that she figured would be in a bedroom. The walls were a dull beige, with cracks running through them like veins, or the branches of a tree during the winter. She could've sworn she heard the chattering of squirrels somewhere in the walls…

She ventured upstairs, where there was only one bedroom and a small bathroom.

All in all, about the only interesting thing she'd seen today was Mugen gulp five bottles of sake nonstop. An impressive feat, for a bum anyways.

"God, are you done poking through my whole home?" He asked, watching her trudge down the stairs. "I swear if you did anything funny…" She merely held up her hand to silence him.

"Trust me, there's nothing I could possibly do. This whole place is a joke itself."

Mugen rolled his eyes before finally turning off the TV to direct all his attention (or what was left of it from the sake) to her. "So, let's talk about why you're here."

Fuu gave a gigantic mock grin and hustled over to sit next to him, in an irritating sort of manner, which proved to be successful. She pulled the hem of her skirt down as she watched him expectantly. He gave her a strange look out of the corner of his eye, but dismissed her annoying behavior.

"So brat…Your father's a pretty interesting guy…"

"My father is dead," Fuu interjected, the mock grin suddenly disappearing from her face. Mugen smirked at that. _A touchy subject, eh?_

"Regardless of his status—He was an interesting like I said earlier. Interesting enough that he was causing problems." Fuu raised a brow at this. "He worked with the government, taking the steps that helped it get to where it is today: a regular shit hole. Except, of course, he also had ties with us."

"What's this supposed to lead up to? I mean, what the hell do you need me for?"

Mugen grinned. "Glad you asked! You see, you're the daughter of the late Seizou Kasumi." Fuu gave him a 'duh' look while crossing her arms tightly across her chest. "The government found out about Seizou's involvement with us. Naturally this caused some uproar and controversy. But they couldn't do anything about it, since he died a few days later after being found out. Problem is, he has a debt to pay with us. Now, he can't really pay us if he's dead. That's where you come in."

"Me?" She gave him a dubious look, not really wanting to know where this was going. "Is this some sort of illegal organization…?"

Mugen leaned back, a look of indifference on his face. "What does it matter? But yeah, sure. If it makes you feel better or whatever."

"So, explain. How am I supposed to help you freaks out?"

"Money. Simple as that."

Fuu gave a rather undignified snort. "Money? _Money _is supposed to help you guys? I don't think so. Plus, I don't even have the type of money you're looking for!"

"I figured you'd say that. But listen here, girl. Money is power. Even we know it. That, and I could really use some of it now," he said, scanning his apartment with a look of contempt. "Anyways, you _do _have the type of money we're looking for. Clever, old Seizou hid it of course, before he was found out."

"And how did my father even get a hold of this money?"

Mugen gave her an irritated look. "Don't you know _anything _about him?"

Fuu merely shook her head. "Nope. Nada. So just tell me while we're on the subject of him."

"He's a rich man. The government provided him with this money. I would think you'd know that. Anyways, he gets involved with us…He's supposed to give some money, but turns out he can't. Because he's dead and all." He yawned, noting that it was getting late now, and he had to get up pretty early tomorrow.

"So," he concluded, sending a sideways glance at the girl. "You're supposed to help us find that money, or else you die in his place by our hands. Got it? Great." He drawled before rising to his feet and stretching. As he neared the steps, Fuu suddenly found her voice again.

"I don't believe any of that bullshit. What makes you think I'd honestly believe that? And why take my life for something I would have no idea about? It's not fair at all!"

Mugen turned around with a loud sigh as he rested his hand on the old banister. "Never said we were fair, princess." He sneered before turning around to continue ascending the stairs. "We'll discuss this more in the morning."

"Hey! Wait!"

"ARGH—_What_?!"

"Why do you get the bed? It's sort of rude of you to kidnap me, lie to me, and then not even offer the freaking bed!"

"First off, if I had the choice, I wouldn't come within a fifty foot radius of you. Second, I'm not lying! You're being stupid and naïve. Third…The only way you're getting into _my _bed is if you were an actual woman. Which you're not." He smirked before opening and slamming the door to his room.

Fuu let out an aggravated scream loud enough to almost shatter windows.

Mugen merely cackled while he dropped himself onto the bed.

* * *

Thunderstorms were approaching the area as a light drizzle slowly began to change pace into a more uproarious way. Lightning streaked the skies and made energetic displays. However, Fuu couldn't be distracted by this. Not even the roaring of thunder clouds could clear her mind.

_What the hell is going on? I mean, I didn't even know my father all that well! Sure, I knew he was somehow involved with the government…But that's it. And now I'm stuck paying the price? That's just crazy and stupid. _She turned on her side, trying to adjust her position on the creaky couch. She swore one of the springs was digging into her skin. _I wonder why he'd even get involved with an organization like that. Judging by the looks of 'Mugen' or whatever, it looks pretty risky._ A loud sigh escaped her lips as she finally pushed herself into an upright position.

Looking at the clock that hung on the wall, she discovered it was 2:30 in the morning. The thought that no one would recognize she was gone till Monday dawned on her. And even then it was a stretch. Most people paid no attention to her to begin with. _I'll have to get out of this one on my own…_

Carefully pacing around the bottom floor of the apartment (so she wouldn't wake up Mugen…Who knew whether or not he had a temper) her thoughts drifted to plans of escape. Right now, he was leaving her alone and unguarded. She could potentially escape and never look back. With a smile now present on her face, she headed towards the door confidently. As she grasped the door handle, she noticed a small piece of paper taped to the door.

_Don't even think of opening this door. People I know are patrolling the streets. I'd __**hate **__for you to get hurt._

_-Mugen_

So _that _must've been the creaking noises she had heard earlier. She had to admit…it looked as if he couldn't even write. Was this note supposed to intimidate her? He could be bluffing about the people outside. Deciding to take a look for herself, she strolled over to the window and looked down below at the streets. Sure enough, a man stood there, a sword at his hip. She scrunched her nose up in a little bit of annoyance, but mainly curiosity. Why did they carry around swords like it was the 1800s?

Drawing in a deep breath, she plopped back down on the couch, wincing as a spring dug into the bottom part of her thigh. She figured she'd just wait until morning. There wasn't much she could do, she reasoned, unless she planned on dying early. But there had to be a loophole. She'd find it for sure.

* * *

Fuu awoke to the scent of something burning. Immediately her mind went into emergency mode before realizing it was just Mugen 'cooking'.

Mugen looked up just in time to see her get off the couch. "About time you woke up, lazy ass."

Fuu did a quick mock search around his house before folding her arms in an expectant manner. "Looks like you've been even lazier. Ever heard of a vacuum? A duster?"

Satisfied with his blank response, she sauntered over to the kitchen, peering over his shoulder. A look of disgust and horror came upon her face as the smell of burnt batter came to nose. Clasping her hands over her face to keep the smell out, she gave an inquiring look at Mugen.

"Is that supposed to be breakfast?" She asked, though it was somewhat muffled by her hands. In reply, he grunted and shoved her aside lightly with his shoulder. From the looks of it, he seemed grumpy and tired, not that Fuu could begin to understand that, considering she got the bumpy couch. It was almost a death trap too, with all those springs threatening to devour her.

Ten minutes later Mugen slapped a plate of black pancakes in front of Fuu before hastily grabbing a chair opposite her and plopping down on it with a bowl of cereal. Fuu looked from her plate to his bowl. "Is there a reason you gave me the crap food? Some sort of subtle message I'm missing?"

"Just eat the goddamned food." He bit back harshly, before picking up a newspaper that lay on the table. From what Fuu could see, it was about two weeks old. Not that she'd even bother to tell him.

"So…" She began, picking at her 'food' with a fork. "Why exactly did my father have 'ties' with you?" She looked up at him as innocently as possible. "I mean, I should at _least _know what he did."

Mugen sighed in defeat, letting the thin pieces of paper drop in his lap. He drummed his fingers on the table, before making eye contact with her. "Assassination," was his blunt reply.

Fuu almost laughed at the thought. "_Assassination_? You've _got _to be joking. It's about the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

"From the looks of it, you don't even know your own father that well. Now that's the funny part," he said, waving his spoon around, carelessly letting droplets of milk fly across the table (and on Fuu).

"I still don't believe you," she whispered.

"Ah well…When the truth hits home, it'll hit home hard. Good luck, and don't say I didn't warn you."

Fuu took the bait.

"Who did he despise so badly that he'd hire someone to kill them?"

Mugen shrugged. "Someone who must've been interfering. In this world today, those you hate, you eliminate. Simple as that."

"But…But that's just wrong. It doesn't make sense." She said, trying to force some justice into this mess. "I didn't think he was capable of harboring such…Intense feelings." Then again, she barely knew him, for he had died when she was seven years old.

Mugen snorted. "People aren't black and white. There's lots of grey in between."

"You're quite the philosopher." She retorted dryly.

"I have spare time."

A few hours later, Fuu was draped on the couch, clicking the remote rather mindlessly. Her thoughts kept wandering all over the place. Nothing made sense right now, but she figured if she just stayed numb to it for a little while, the feeling would pass. Inside though, she felt her stomach tying up into triple knots, threatening to squeeze the air out of her. Somehow, she believed Mugen, and she didn't know why. People had always told her she was a bit too trustful, but she did have some sense of good judgment.

Mugen suddenly came down the stairs, each foot releasing a heavy thunk noise from the boots he was wearing. Fuu lifted a brow in mild curiosity at this sudden improved look. Well…Better than what she had seen previously. He was wearing a simple button-down shirt with black pants. His hair, however, was still a wild mess. He strode past her into the kitchen, searching the refrigerator in a rather hurried manner.

"What's the rush?"

He looked up momentarily, stunned. It was as if for a moment he had forgotten she was in his home. Shaking his head, he muttered curses to himself, quickly gulping down what was presumably beer.

Fuu rolled her eyes before returning her attention to the TV. Apparently this was a very climactic episode on whatever soap opera she was watching.

"I'm going to be gone for a few hours," Mugen suddenly stated, grabbing a jacket strewn across one of the chairs at the table. "Don't miss me too much," he winked before heading towards the door.

_Alone? For a few hours? Perfect! I can escape and then everything will be just fine…_

"Oh, and before I forget," he said, pulling out a key from his jacket pocket. "I've got the key. Don't bother to try and leave." With that, he slid out the door, locking it behind him.

"Bastard." She mumbled.

Suddenly, an idea popped to her head. Surely she could phone the police? In that instant, she began to scour the apartment for a phone of some sort—anything that could get her in contact with the outside world. However, she soon found that this plan wasn't working out to the fullest. She had been searching for almost half an hour for the phone, and with that, her resolve was fading. The police wouldn't give a damn anyways. They'd merely write it off as some sort of prank or cry for attention. As it bas as it was, the police didn't really care anymore these days. It was too much to put up with, so they simply eliminated those sorts of problems from their agenda.

After searching relentlessly for a phone, she figured he probably just used a cell phone. The only phone she found was one with a broken chord anyways. It was as if he was _made _for housing hostages.

The sudden urge to fall asleep overcame Fuu. She hadn't really slumbered well on that couch. It did a number to her back anyways. Since Mugen wasn't home, she figured it'd be okay to sleep temporarily on his bed. The thought somewhat disgusted her, but she pushed it to the back of her mind. She was in sore need of sleep, and right now wasn't the time to be choosy.

As she slid on the covers, she prayed that inspiration would hit, and she'd be blessed with an idea that could guarantee her safe return to home.

* * *

Mugen tapped his foot impatiently against the elevator floor, cursing the thing to go faster. Right now, he wasn't in the mood to take things patiently. When the ding sounded, Mugen all but raced out the elevator, prompting him to run into someone. Stumbling back, he grinned when he recognized the person.

"Well if it isn't Yatsuha…" He grinned in such a way that one would be reminded of a wolf.

The woman, Yatsuha, merely rolled her eyes before shoving him back playfully. "Mugen, Mugen, Mugen…I can't believe I'm actually seeing you come to work for once…Looking decent." She gave a once-over on his appearance, smiling slightly.

He grinned before leaning in to kiss her. Yatsuha simply held a hand up to his chest to stop him midway. "I wouldn't advise doing that right here. Save it for later," she grinned before walking, adding an extra sway in her saunter.

A lopsided, odd smile took over his face before he turned and walked down the corridor. _She is smokin'_.

Mugen entered a small office, not bothering to knock or show any signs of entering. A man in the chair behind a desk slowly swiveled to face him, talking on a phone. He held up a finger in a gesture to silence him.

"Ah…Yes…Of course. Sure, everything's going fine. Yes, I'll keep you updated. Alright…Bye then." He quickly hung up, returning his attention to the unruly man before him.

"So Nagatomi," Mugen drawled, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Next case. I'm running low on cash you know."

Rikiei Nagatomi grinned, his glasses giving an eerie shade to his eyes. He stroked his goatee, as if in deep thought. A few moments of silence passed, before he looked up at Mugen once more.

Finally, he sighed and broke the eye contact, shuffling some papers into the drawers of his desk. Without looking back up at him, he spoke. "Matsunosuke Shibui needs to be eliminated. I assure you it'll pay well. Bonus if you can get his son as well, Tomonoshin. They're pests just waiting to be taken care of. I assume you'll be just fine without backup?"

Mugen snorted in response. "Of course."

* * *

When he entered his bedroom, the last thing he expected to see was Fuu sprawled out on it. Not only that, but the snoring noises she emitted were just terrible. He gingerly tapped her, not sure of how she'd react to a sudden wakeup call. A string of mumbled words escaped her lips before she turned her back to him. He groaned before reaching for his sword that lay at the foot of his bed.

Careful not to actually hurt her, he lightly poked Fuu in the backside area with the tip of the sword. He saw her shoulder twitch in which he responded to with a smirk. Deciding to be a bit bolder, he poked her harder, until she jolted out of bed. Rubbing her backside, she turned to glare at him.

Suddenly she realized just where she was, and the urge to blush overcame her. She quickly scrambled off the bed, keeping her distance from him. He looked quite deadly with that sword in his hands.

"I just didn't want to sleep on that couch again! You should consider getting a new one by the way," she added hotly.

"If I had the money. And you living here isn't helping either, but of course I get stuck with the crap jobs."

Fuu placed her hands on her hips, daring him to say it again. "Yeah, because I was begging for some jerk, psycho, _killer _to kidnap me!"

He merely shrugged in response. Looking up at the clock that hung in his room, a slow smile spread on his face.

"How'd you like to help me with something…?"

* * *

**AN: **Hmm…Still experimenting? Yes. OH, just a quick note…The unfamiliar (maybe?) names like Yatsuha and Shibui and Nagatomi etc. are all taken off of the anime. Just go to wikipedia and look them up there. Or use a search engine. I'm not sure how much I am being true to their character as represented in the show, but whatever. It's a fanfiction, and they're not TOO big of a deal…In the grand scheme of things…Well. I don't know. Just thought you should know that. 


	3. True Colors Will Show

**AN: **Second chapter! Thoughts are greatly appreciated, since I need _some _sort of feedback. Sorry it may seem a little 'weird' at times, or confusing.

**Disclaimer: **Obviously I don't own Samurai Champloo. Most people know that…Or at least should…

**On the Edge of All Reason**

**Chapter Two: True Colors Will Show**

Dusk was approaching as Mugen and Fuu waited outside a small building. Cool breezes rushed past them in a way that made Fuu uneasy. She felt as if the winds were literally pushing her towards the door of the place. The thought sent several shivers down her spine, causing her to rub her arms in an attempt to calm herself down. In a few moments, her teeth began to chatter, and in she inwardly groaned at that annoying habit of hers. Mugen looked back at her, annoyance evident in his features.

"Would you quit that?" He snapped at her, before returning his gaze to the entrance of the building.

"Well it's not everyday I'm out helping a killer!" She hissed, looking the other way.

"You're only helping with half of it. And look at it this way—you're not the one physically harming them. Leave that part to me," he winked, almost as if he were proud of his job. Fuu rolled her eyes, not doubting the idea that it could be true.

A few moments passed before Mugen looked over at Fuu. The plan would be set into motion within five minutes, so he decided it'd be best to drill her over the situation again. He had to wonder why he brought her with him, but he figured she'd be good enough to distract the younger Shibui. Not that he necessarily needed her help. But if she was going to be in his hair for awhile, he figured she should at least make herself useful.

"So remember. I'll get rid of Matsunosuke. He'll be over the minute he opens the door. I've been informed that Tomonoshin is out…He'll be arriving within thirty minutes after we get rid of the first one. That's where you come in. Act like a damsel in distress…Or whatever it is that you chicks do. And good ol' element of surprise on my part will get rid of him. Got it?"

Fuu nodded her head weakly. She was tempted to run away and never look back, but she knew it would be stupid. He had all the power right now. Strings were attached to her, and he was the one in control. So for now, she'd have to sit tight.

Mugen glanced at his watch, seeing it was 8:00 pm. Now was the time to set this plan into motion. An easy kill, he decided. In fact, it was almost offending, but he needed some quick cash.

"You just stay here." He mentioned to Fuu. He turned the corner of the building, heading near the door. All he would have to do was pretend he had some package or whatever to deliver to him, and it'd be over.

When he reached the door, he cleared his throat before knocking. His hand was already lightly gripped on the hilt of his sword. "Who is it?!" He heard coming from the inside of the building.

"I have a package here…For Matsunosuke Shibui…" He drawled, growing irritated as the man took his time to approach the door. Finally the click of the door unlocking was sounded into the quiet night. A wide grin spread on Mugen's face before he whipped out his sword and plunged it into the stomach of the middle-aged man. Shibui had barely been able to let out a yell of surprise before he found the metal lodged in his body.

He struggled to gulp air, as he slowly shrank to his knees, the sword still holding itself inside him. Blood began to gush out of his mouth, staining his suit. Mugen grimaced as he struggled to wrench the sword out of his dying body. The man looked at Mugen, his eyes glazing over with watery film before he finally fell over with a thud.

Blood stained the cement, earning a noise of repulsion to come out of Mugen. He stepped back, careful to not let the blood stain his shoes. He sighed as if it were the most ordinary night of his life (which it probably was) as he cleaned his sword off with tissues he had stuffed into his pockets earlier. Luckily the evidence would be left with his own sword, and the fact that he was wearing gloves helped. He walked over to a trashcan that was placed at the corner of the alley and dropped the bloodied tissues in there.

Suddenly he remembered that Fuu was still waiting for him around the corner. He narrowed his eyes. Or at least she _better _be. If she was smart enough, she'd know not to run.

Placing the sword on his back again, he sauntered over to where Fuu was standing. She jumped slightly when she saw him approaching her. Her eyes briefly made contact with his before she glanced back to the alley across the street. Mugen rolled his eyes, knowing she was getting ready to go into a rage of emotions. He could just _tell_.

"Did you do it?" She whispered, not bothering to look at him.

"Of course."

She merely nodded before closing her eyes and biting her lip. She hated this. All of this. It was so meaningless in her eyes. There had to be other ways to fix these problems. Murder wasn't the only solution, was it? _It couldn't be! _She shook her head, refusing to believe in that.

"It's 8:20," Mugen stated. "Be sure to get ready."

"Right…" No matter what way she looked at it, she was still helping…She was still killing. She could easily prevent this, couldn't she? All she had to do was blurt it out and that was that. A life could be spared. However her shaky resolve was shattered when she saw the man known as Tomonoshin. He looked like a regular rebel, his hair dyed blonde and his ears decorated with piercings. Fuu gulped, afraid to approach him. She turned to speak out to Mugen, but she saw he had vanished.

A groan was the only thing she could do before she approached the nearing man.

"Excuse me, sir…" she began, attempting to act innocent and confused. "I'm sort of lost…And I really need your help getting my way back home." She stood there hesitantly, not knowing when Mugen would be arriving.

A grin spread across Tomonoshin's face, one that Fuu despised. She could tell he was an arrogant prick already.

"Well," he leaned in closer. "I'd love to help…"

Fuu gave a revolted look but hid it by choosing to turn around and cough quickly. She immediately began to walk in a random direction, and was pleased to see he was following. At least Mugen wouldn't get mad at her for not doing this right.

Before they could even leave the area where Fuu had just been standing earlier, a whistling sound was heard. Fuu looked back, her eyes widening when she saw Tomonoshin was already stabbed, straight through the stomach. Blood spurted from the wound making Fuu want to faint. She slowly crumpled to the ground, clutching her chest. Tomonoshin slowly fell to the ground, the sword already removed from his body.

Mugen went through the same process he had with the elder Shibui, taking great care not to leave any evidence. However, Fuu remained on the ground, stiff with shock. Her eyes kept roving over to the dead, young man. His eyes were still open in shock, and Fuu could almost feel the pain he had felt.

_Why?_

She didn't understand any of this. Anger began to overwhelm her, especially at the way Mugen was so calm and casual about it.

In a few moments, she struggled to her feet, her knees shaking. "I…I can't believe you did this."

Mugen looked up at her, as he adjusted his sword over his shoulder. "Hm?"

"How could you do that?!" Her voice was going an octave up. Mugen realized he'd need to remove her out of the area quickly, regardless of the fact that the streets were empty. He just couldn't take his chances. Grasping her wrist, he began to lead her back to the alleyway.

"No!" She shrieked as she tried to separate his hand from her wrist. "I don't want to see another dead person!"

With irritation taking over, Mugen quickly slammed her against the brick wall of the building. "Shut up, and listen to me," he hissed, not caring if he was upsetting her further. "Right now, if we get caught, not only will you die, but so will I. The _whole _organization knows about you, and the fact that _I _am held responsible. So if you want to increase your chances of living, _shut up_."

That being said, he released his hold of her with a sharp intake of breath.

"Come on."

Fuu merely stood there, her body looking listless against the wall. A soft look entered Mugen's eyes before he gently took her wrist and lead her away from the messy scene. Someone would find the bodies eventually and call the police.

It'd only be a matter of time before people forgot Shibui and his worthless son.

--

From what Jin had discovered, the bodies were still fresh, perhaps killed last night, or a bit earlier yesterday. Both of them had been killed the exact same way: slashed through the stomach area. He also took note of the shocked expressions on both of their faces, a sign he took as a surprise attack.

He watched with an apathetic face as other police officers scoured the area for any clues or leads to what may have caused this. This wasn't the work of a gun, nor did he think it was that of a knife. The slash marks seemed to be close to cutting the bodies nearly in half.

It had to be a sword, he decided. It was a strange way to kill someone, but the effects only further backed up his previous thought. He had practiced with the sword before in his younger days, and it looked far too familiar.

He sighed, rubbing his temples in frustration. In the past month murders as strange as this had been occurring and still there was no way to find some sort of connection. Although he had heard of a group once before, Retrogression was the name.

Jin took out a notepad and quickly scrawled down the names of the victims before placing their wallets with various information into a Ziploc bag.

--

He hated to admit it, but worry was starting to take shape for the girl. She hadn't once removed herself from his bedroom (which she had taken without permission the minute they got home), nor had she spoken to him once all day.

It probably was a bad idea to let her witness that, but the sooner she figured out what kind of business she was entering, the better. He couldn't hide her forever from what he did as a living. Besides, she had to know what she was getting into, the dangers of what could happen to her. However, she didn't bother to acknowledge it.

It was four in the afternoon when Fuu finally trudged down the steps, passing by Mugen who was sprawled out on the couch, an empty beer bottle in his hand.

He contemplated saying something to her, but decided against it. She seemed pissed and hormonally imbalanced.

He heard her footsteps approaching again, before he looked up to see her pause halfway between him and the stairs, a bag of chips in her hands. She sent him the coldest glare he had ever seen before she continued her way upstairs, slamming the door louder than ever. He inwardly cringed at the noise, and at her temper.

Sometimes he hated women.

A knock was suddenly heard on his door, throwing him out of his musings. He grudgingly got up before wrenching the door open to find Yatsuha smiling at him. She walked right on in, not even waiting for him to step aside.

"So, I hear your hands are full."

Mugen rolled his eyes before locking the door and heading over to where the woman was standing idly.

"Nothing I can't handle." He grinned before wrapping his arms around her. She smirked before pressing her lips against his, sighing in pure pleasure.

"It's been awhile since we've spent time together, ya know? It almost makes me sad to think of all the time we've had apart." She whispered, eyeing him coyly. He simply grinned, giving her another quick kiss.

Moments later, they found themselves on the couch, kissing with more passion. They briefly stopped when Yatsuha paused to pick up an empty beer bottle. "That's just gross, Mugen…" "Shut up," he mumbled before kissing her again, letting his hands glide against her hips.

Suddenly, Fuu opened the door and stood there at the top the steps, disgust clearly written on her face. "Ew. That's so sick!" She exclaimed, stomping past them to the kitchen where she proceeded to open the refrigerator and grab a bottle of water.

Mugen let out a huff of air in irritation at the girl's boldness. Yatsuha got up from her position, eyeing the girl carefully. "Is that her?" She asked, jerking a thumb in Fuu's direction.

He nodded in a way that would seem almost regretful.

"She looks kind of young…"

"Don't worry," he smiled smugly. "I still like you more."

Yatsuha rolled her eyes playfully before patting him on the arm to release her from the couch. She stood up, smoothing out the wrinkles in her skirt. Readjusting her jacket, she smiled and picked up her purse from the coffee table before slinging it over her shoulder. "I'll see you around?"

"Sure thing," he placed a kiss on her lips before she walked out the door, leaving a heavy silence in the air.

"Y'know kid, you really screwed that up." He bit at her, walking over to the kitchen.

She simply shrugged her shoulders, pouring out the rest of the water into the sink.

"Look, I know you're upset, but seriously. You can't avoid talking to me forever."

She whirled on him, her brown eyes glazed with anger. "Watch me."

For a moment, nothing was said between the two of them, prompting Fuu to break the silence. "I'm going to go take a shower." She stalked up the stairs, turning to the right to enter the small bathroom.

She shed off her school uniform that she had been wearing for two days now, and she was beginning to wonder when she was going to get a change of clothes. She hadn't been allowed to go out by her own free will to shop or at least get clothes from her own home. It angered her that he'd lock her up in this dump, but then take her out to help him kill people.

"He's so stupid! And he's a jerk too. I just…Argh!" She hissed as she pulled out the pins from her hair. She let the chestnut tendrils fall past her shoulders in such a free, relaxing way that it almost made Fuu forget her worries. For a brief moment, she forgot she was even a hostage.

As she stepped into the shower, her thoughts traced back to that woman who was with Mugen earlier. _They looked pretty cozy…_She thought bitterly, almost shocked at how easily Mugen could shift his train of thought from murder to women. _I wonder if she works with the organization too…What the heck are they called anyways? You've gotta have a name for your organization!_

Fuu stepped out of the shower an hour later, having washed away all the grime (and blood) out of her hair and skin. She smiled in contentment, sliding her old clothes back on.

However, her mood slowly took a turn for the worst when she saw Mugen waiting outside.

"What?" She snapped, clutching the wet towel she had found in the bathroom earlier.

"I hope you're going to pay for the water bill," he joked.

Making a sound of disgust, she slid past him, and entered the bedroom from across the hallway. She dropped the towel on the chair in the corner of the room carelessly before draping herself across the bed. She could feel the wetness of her hair soaking her shirt as she forced her eyes shut.

"Look…I'm sorry, okay? I know that must've been a bad sight to see, but I figured it's best you know what you're getting yourself into." He reasoned, trying to shed light on the topic.

Fuu responded by turning her backside to him, secretly enjoying his frustration. _He deserves it_, she thought bitterly.

"For the love of god…" She heard him mutter.

She heard Mugen walk over to the other side of the room and drag the chair over to the bedside. Immediately her body tensed, wishing he would just go away and leave her in peace. She lightly turned over, so that she was almost on her back, though not directly looking at him.

"Why'd you do it?" She asked softly, staring at the ceiling.

"Huh?" Mugen asked, noncommittally, leaning on the chair in such a way that it was only standing on its two back legs.

"I mean, why'd you join some 'organization' that kills people?"

"Things happen," he responded bluntly. "I didn't purposely go looking for this, y'know."

"Sure." She sighed, turning once more so that her back faced him. "What's the name of this thing anyways? You can't have an organization without a name."

"Retrogression."

"That's an…" She paused, searching for the right words to describe it. "…Interesting name."

Mugen shrugged, leaning precariously on the wooden chair. Fuu turned over to look at him again, her face looking somewhat confused. It was as if she was trying to figure him out…Search for some sign or anything that would help her out of this mess.

"How am I supposed to know where my father hid the money?"

"I dunno. Use your memory…Think back to anything he might've mentioned…Anything that would make a good hiding place."

"This is just stupid!" She screeched, putting her hands to her head in frustration. After a few sharp intakes of breath, she turned to speak to him again. "How long do I have?"

Mugen scratched his head, trying to remember what he'd been told before his face quickly lit up. "My boss will decide for you. Most likely a month or two." He grinned as if this were the best thing ever.

"Great. I'm in this shit hole for at least a month," she moaned.

"Yeah well, get used to it," he muttered, suddenly getting up to his feet.

"Hey! Wait! Where are you going?" Fuu asked, turning out of the bed to let her feet rest against the cool, wooden floorboards.

"Out."

The next thing she said, she couldn't help but let it out of her mouth in one quick, burst of annoyance. "Is it to go see that _woman_?" She asked, emphasizing the word 'woman'.

Mugen paused at the doorway, tapping his chin. She held her breath as the seconds ticked by, her hands clamped over her mouth in shock. Those hadn't been the words she wanted to say out loud! _Ohhhh! Stupid Fuu! Why do I never think first?!_

"Well, if I didn't know any better…" He trailed off, turning to grin at her. "I'd say you're a little jealous."

The color nearly drained from Fuu's face.

--

**AN: **Can't say I liked this chapter all that much, but I figured I spent way too much time trying to fix it. Thoughts are appreciated for this!


	4. The Healing Touch

**AN: **Chapter three is out! Yay! I'm surprised at how quickly I'm updating this thing. I guess I'm enjoying now (for the time being anyways…) Sorry if there are any mistakes/inconsistencies. I'm sort of deprived of sleep and whatnot.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Samurai Champloo.

**On the Edge of All Reason**

**Chapter Three: The Healing Touch**

Fuu tossed and turned on her side all night, unable to let sleep guide her. Her mind kept showing distorted images of what she presumed was her father and mother. They looked happy…genuinely happy. And as they laughed together while they were in some sort of park, she kept gazing at her father's kind face. How could he even bother to toy with the idea of killing someone? She felt her heart constrict and before she knew it, she jolted up from the bed, her chest heaving with pain.

_It's just a dream…It's just a dream…_She repeated the mantra over and over to herself while walking downstairs. The apartment was dark, showing no signs of Mugen having returned. She settled for a glass of water before sitting at the table. Looking out the window, she noted the skies were a beautiful dark blue, with the shimmering of thousands of stars to light it up. A wistful smile came upon her face, remembering the times she'd stay up late just to look outside.

Fuu let out a tremulous sigh before she heard a knock come at the door. She froze in her spot on the chair, hoping that whoever it was would go away. It couldn't be Mugen…He had his own key, and there's no way he'd knock to enter his own apartment. It's not like she could answer the door either, considering Mugen had specifically kept her here to lock her in.

The jangling of keys was heard though, and Fuu looked curiously at the door. The idea to hide quickly entered her mind, however she soon pushed it out. It wouldn't do any good anyways.

The metal door soon enough opened, and a young man stepped in with a bored (and somewhat annoyed) expression on his handsome face. Fuu started from the table, suddenly alert of what was going on. Instead though, he simply gave her an uninterested glance before slapping down a manila folder on the countertop.

"Make sure Mugen gets that," he drawled before heading towards the door once more.

Fuu stood there, a dumbfounded look on her face. She wanted to ask him several questions, like how he knew Mugen, what was in that folder, and other things, but instead, she merely asked him who he was.

The young man turned to look at her, grasping the doorknob with his hand. It was as if he just noticed her for the first time since entering, a mild look of surprise on his face.

"You can talk? I thought you were one of those mute girls…" He mumbled. "The name's Shinsuke." He smiled before slamming the door shut and locking it behind him.

What felt like hours before she moved, Fuu stood there feeling warmth run up to her cheeks. Was she blushing? No way! That was just plain crazy…Although he was kind of cute. Her mind felt giddy with girly joy, before she darted up the stairs and to the bedroom. Holding a pillow close to her chest, she sighed, enjoying the feeling of being purely happy. Suddenly her elated mood shifted to a lower key, thinking of how pathetic she was acting. He was just a guy that she had seen for what, two minutes? Her eyebrows furrowed together, thinking being locked up in this place was doing a number on her mentality.

She turned over on her side, willing her mind to shut down and fall asleep.

--

The sound of something crashing awoke Fuu with a start. She shoved the covers aside as she got out of bed, worry in her eyes. As she lightly ran down the stairs, chestnut hair trailing behind her like waves, she paused. The lights were still off with only the moon shining from the windows to guide her. She could barely make out a figure staggering over to the countertop which she realized was Mugen.

She sighed before gliding over to him, softly placing one hand on his back, and the other on his chest as if to steady him. She would've turned on the light, but she figured sudden brightness would give him a painful headache…It was no doubt he was drunk, or at least close to it.

However, a gasp suddenly let out as she felt liquid seep into the palm of her hand that lay on his chest.

"Mugen…" She whispered softly. "What happened?"

He let out a grunt in response, shoving her away quickly. Fuu stumbled back, too terrified to move. He was wounded…But what happened? She didn't even know where he had gone earlier. Curiosity motivated her to move forward and try again, however he was stumbling over to sit down on a chair. Instead, she went over to the chair beside him, watching him carefully under the pale moonlight that made small streams of light.

"You're hurt…" She whispered again, a soothing edge in her tone. "Let me look at it."

It was odd, she thought, how willing she was to help him. Even though he had kidnapped her, threatened her life, and locked her up in this dingy apartment, she still felt that compelling need to help. From the sharp intakes of breath he'd take every few minutes, she knew he was in major pain. It was a known fact for her that compassion overrode her anger.

When he made no move to acknowledge her, she got up to turn on the lights. His eyes immediately squinted in pain from the level of brightness. When Fuu neared him again, she gasped seeing how bad it actually was. All of what was left of his white shirt was soaked in blood—and it was still flowing freely out of his wound.

"Do you have any bandages anywhere?" She asked, scanning the kitchen.

"Under the sink…" He mumbled, rolling his eyes at her eagerness to help.

She quickly retrieved the bandages and first aid kit before tugging up his shirt. Her brown eyes were overtaken by shock at the wound. It was a large gash that went from his right, lower side, up to the left side of his chest. Quickly setting to work, she grabbed a large cotton swab and soaked it with alcohol, grimacing inwardly at the stinging sensation it would cause.

"This'll sting a lot, but I'm sure you can handle it," she smiled teasingly. She was rewarded by another eye roll, however she set to work. He grimaced and fought urges to yell from the stinging.

"Goddamn it! How much of that alcohol did you pour?!" He yelled, raking a hand through his hair.

"Oh hush. You're strong enough to live through it."

He mumbled obscenities before quieting down and watching her work. She seemed pretty skilled in what she was doing, though he wasn't too surprised. Girls always seemed to have this inherited ability to heal people. Soon enough, he found himself relaxing under her gentle, sure hands. The girl seemed to take great care in making sure the bandages were tight enough before snipping off the excess part.

"You should be fine now…What happened anyways?" She asked, tucking the bandages and small pair of scissors back in the first aid kit.

"Bar," he shrugged.

"You picked a fight with someone?! Mugen! That's just stupid," she chided, walking over to the cabinet to place the first aid kit away. She quickly washed her hands before patting them dry on her skirt. "One of these days you could get killed, you know. Or even worse—get hurt badly enough to want to die."

"Oh, so you care about what happens?" He sneered, looking away.

"Well, sure. I mean, I can't say I like you much, but you have kept me alive so far…And in good condition I suppose. So I can't hate you _too _much." She reasoned, picking up his bloody, torn shirt. "Mind if I throw this away?"

He shrugged in response, drumming his fingers on the table.

"By the way, some guy named Shinsuke stopped by. He dropped off that folder on the counter."

"Ah…Forgot all about him stopping by." He mused, scratching his chin.

"Yeah. Thanks for warning me by the way," she replied sarcastically.

"Don't flatter yourself too much. He's not going to kidnap you, seeing as I already did the job."

"Whatever," Fuu said, feeling that irritating edge get back in her mood. "I'm going back to bed. Next time you come home filled with booze and bleeding to death, I'm not gonna help you." She warned before stalking up the stairs.

"Hn." He snorted, before turning to look at her retreating figure. He contemplated something for a moment before looking back up at her. "Thanks by the way. For all this."

She paused for a mere second, before retreating into the room.

"No problem…" She whispered behind the door.

--

Mugen lay on the couch, watching the light drizzle as the moon continued to shine on. He looked at the bandages that wrapped and twined around his torso, noting how professional they looked. A faint blotch of blood was beginning to show, though for the most part it was healing.

He wondered why she even bothered to help him. He expected the most he'd get out of her was a cheap lecture about how stupid he was to get in a drunken bar fight. However, she calmly helped him out, not really caring about his previous actions that got him into this mess. Mugen let out a sigh, suddenly craving a cigarette. He wasn't a smoker, though at times—when his head really hurt, or there was a lot of tension built up inside him—he smoked the occasional cigarette.

Slowly rising to his feet, he fished out a pack of cigarettes from his jacket pocket before heading outside. As he pounded down the steps to the outdoors, he decided he _really _needed this smoke. His thoughts were going crazy, bizarre thoughts flying in and out. He fumbled with the lighter before finally lighting the cigarette in the light drizzle that was beginning to come to a close. With an inhale of breath, and an exhale, he slowly went into the calming rhythm, letting his thoughts flow back into one, straight line.

For some reason, he kept thinking back to the way she skillfully glided the cotton swab against his wound, wrapped the bandages…He saw her in a new light. No longer did he envision some annoying, weak brat, but a semi-mature, smarter girl.

No, he didn't think of her as a woman like he did Yatsuha—she wasn't quite like that. She was more…Innocent. Naïve was it? Although he wouldn't underestimate the girl, he knew she wasn't that powerful or anything. She was simply a girl…A kid.

Grumbling, he flicked the cigarette to the ground, grounding it out though the rain had already taken care of that. He stalked indoors and plopped himself on the couch, shutting his eyes. He hated thinking about things that would get him nowhere.

--

"Who's Shinsuke?" Fuu asked the next morning, swirling her spoon around the soggy cereal.

Mugen looked up slowly, an eyebrow raised carefully. "Why?"

"Nothing," she shrugged. "Just wanted to know why he had a key to your apartment. Kind of scared me," she smiled weakly.

Mugen shrugged. "He's a part of the organization. Great in tracking down people and getting various information. Kind of full of himself but, you get past it…"

Fuu made a face of disbelief in his direction. "Isn't that a bit hypocritical of you to sa—"

"Shut up."

As she sat there putting spoonfuls of cereal into her mouth, Mugen couldn't help but fight down a surge of annoyance at her questions of the boy. He didn't know why it irritated him so much, then again Shinsuke was never really his favorite person to talk about or converse with, so it must've been natural instinct.

Plus, he just thought it a bad idea for Fuu to get interested in the members of this group. Danger was literally waiting at every corner and someone like her made an easy target. Although his reasoning was somewhat…Bad for lack of better word, it satisfied him enough.

What he said next, he didn't know why, but it all came out so quickly he couldn't stop it.

"He's a jackass, so don't even think about him."

Fuu paused midway of entering another spoonful of cereal into her mouth, her eyes meeting his.

"You're the jackass." She then resumed eating her breakfast as if nothing had happened.

"Jackass?" He sputtered as if this was news to him. "I think I'm quite amazing. You just don't know it yet," he bantered, in a slightly, overly-done chipper mood.

She raised a brow, wondering what brought on this turn of attitude. "Are you high and just not telling me?" She asked in a dull monotone. "Because if you are, I'll just go back to bed."

"Hell no. I swear you live in that bed. And thanks to you, my back is swelling up from those springs."

She smirked in triumph. "Serves you right! You kidnap and kill people, so you better pay a small price for it."

Mugen gave her an odd look before stretching and rising to his feet. "I'll just be going out now."

"To where?"

He cocked a brow over in her direction, not willing to say his outing events which usually consisted of useless meandering through the streets. The scenery sucked anyways, what with dying plant life and decaying buildings on every side of the street. Although these days he found himself going into the city more often, exploring the shops and such. Most people gave him odd looks and shuffled away from him. He even heard a mother once tell her son to not go near him, or else he'd end up in jail.

What a bitch, he had thought.

"I dunno. The shopping center not too far from here…Maybe."

Fuu's eyes suddenly lit up. "Shopping?! I've got to come! Please?" She begged, clasping her hands together with a hopeful look in her eyes. Mugen felt his face freeze up, suddenly uncomfortable at her insistent begging and doe-eyed look. He scratched the back of his head, deep in thought. Millions of things could go wrong…Someone might recognize her, should the police figure out she's missing, or someone she might happen to know could see her, wondering why she was out shopping (with a strange man to boot) instead of being in school. And if Nagatomi found out, he was screwed and more.

However, something must've possessed him when he merely shrugged and told her to tag along, provided she'd do anything he told her if he sensed danger.

--

Jin sat at his desk, rubbing his temples in constant, circular motions. It was frustrating to see that not one of these murders could be traced back to Retrogression like he assumed. The worst part was, he was almost sure of it that they were responsible—so were the citizens. It's not like people didn't know the group existed. In fact, they were well-known to the public…Just too crafty to be proven guilty. Only a few times in the past decade had some information leaked out that traced back to them, like the time spies were caught in the police force, or the government.

However, under the power of the law, none of them could be proven guilty merely under some strong assumptions. It'd be an understatement to say Jin was pissed.

And now, information had been leaked that a young girl was missing. He had received a call from an elderly lady who apparently was the landlord of the apartment complex that the girl lived in. The lady had said that the girl hadn't been showing up at all…She claimed she first noticed this morning when she came to collect the monthly rent. The girl, Fuu, was apparently always on time with the rent.

"And come to think of it…" The old lady trailed off. "I don't remember her coming home from school on Friday afternoon like she usually does. Plus, she didn't leave for school this morning either. Strange really," she said, continuing to babble on and on…

Jin leaned back in his seat, checking his watch. He really needed a break. A nice walk to the shopping center might do him some good…Fresh air sounded good right about now after being in this stuffy office.

--

"Ohhh! Look at this shirt!" Fuu exclaimed, holding it up to Mugen with vivid excitement on her face. Mugen barely spared it a glance, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He needed to be alert right now…Not jumping up and down with some teenager who found her soul mate in the form of a piece of fabric.

The tingling feeling of paranoia crawling up and down his spine made him want to hurl. Every time he thought he turned to look out the window, he thought a police squad would be making way towards him. He hated the police that much he knew.

Mugen quickly averted his attention back to the ecstatic girl, eyes bulging at the heap of clothes she had gathered in the crook of her arm all in that small amount of time he spent looking out the window.

"What the hell?! Who's going to pay for all that?!" He sputtered, well aware that a few people near them were casting odd looks.

Fuu looked up, a pointedly blank stare on her face. "You."

"Why?!"

"Maybe if _somebody _hadn't intercepted my way to my home, I would've had some money handy. _Maybe _if you hadn't have kidnapped me, you wouldn't be paying. _Maybe_—"

"Okay, okay!" Mugen exclaimed, holding his hands up in a gesture of defeat. "I swear to god I'd wring your little neck if it weren't for the fact that you're important right now to the boss."

Fuu smiled sweetly. "I think this is going to be about five hundred dollars…"

_Breathe in…Breathe out…Breathe in…Breathe out…_Mugen quickly threw that method out the window, grabbing the pile of clothes out of her arm.

"Hey!" She yelped, attempting to snatch them back. "What are you doing?"

"Too skanky…Too bright…Too…Ugly…Too weird…" He muttered, dropping various clothes back on the rack. "Honestly, I don't get why you teenage girls are so into this stuff." He looked up at her, a small hint of annoyance evident in his features.

Fuu quickly snatched back the pile of clothes he had rejected, bustling over to the cashier. "Because I like them. You're not a girl, nor are you a teenager." She quickly turned back to him, extending her open hand. "Wallet please."

He grumbled before slapping it in her hand. As she walked over to the cashier, her back to him, he pretended he had laser vision and everytime he blinked, a zapping beam was going through her.

As Fuu meandered her way back to the waiting man, she quickly stole a glance at him to make sure he wasn't watching before flipping through his wallet. She smirked when she found his driver's license. Suddenly her face fell. _Why the hell is his name Tasuki Fushikawa? Thirty years old?! What the hell?!_

Before she knew it, a hand snatched the wallet and license away, before stuffing it back in his pocket. "Don't think I didn't notice you snooping. Fake I.D. by the way," he said, lowering his voice.

"Are you really thirty?" She asked in disbelief.

"Erm, no. More like twenty four. Not that you need to know." He bristled, leading her out of the shop, anxious to get out of the public eye.

Meanwhile, a certain cop off duty bumped into the pair. He quickly mumbled apologies before walking away. That girl looked strangely familiar…

--

**AN: **Boring chapter? Somewhat. Hey, the two need to develop some sort of relationship, right? Please share your thoughts with me! Thank you to the people who have given such rewarding compliments! I'm grateful for you guys!


	5. The Briefest of Moments

**AN: **Sorry for the somewhat long wait. It's kind of a bland/boring chapter, but it still helps in moving along the story. Although if you want long, just ask the readers of When Winter Met Summer…They know all about it.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Samurai Champloo and never will. Which is probably a good thing.

**On the Edge of All Reason**

**  
Chapter Four: The Briefest of Moments**

The evening was quiet save for the sound of the TV coming from downstairs. Mugen was probably passed out in front of it, beer bottle in hand. It wasn't unusual for Fuu to meet a sight like that during her late night hunger attacks. She bustled by his slumped figure, opening the refrigerator, happy to see the quart of chocolate milk she had insisted Mugen buy.

She was in the middle of pouring herself a glass when she heard the door to the apartment unlock and open. Spinning around, she saw it was only Shinsuke. It was really beginning to bother her the way he just came in like he lived here as well.

"Oh, it's just you," she muttered, turning her back to him. She could just feel the heat rushing to her cheeks again.

"Wow. I kind of expected you to be surprised," he joked, heading over to the unconscious Mugen. "Ah…Knocked out again?"

Fuu walked over to him, nodding in affirmation. "It's getting sickening, actually. I mean, he can barely move himself in the morning."

Shinsuke smiled a bit before slapping the side of Mugen's head with the back of his hand. Mugen grimaced, swatting away his hand lazily before curling to the side of the couch. Fuu sighed in disappointment before gulping down the glass of milk.

"Why is it that you always come up here, late at night?" Fuu inquired, washing the glass.

Shinsuke looked up from his spot at the counter, taken aback by her attempt to make conversation. "Somebody's gotta check on the guy, y'know? He's always getting into some sort of mess…" He laughed slightly before letting silence settle again in the air.

"Hey…How'd you like to go out for a little walk? Get out of this place for some fresh air?"

Fuu looked up, somewhat stunned. He was asking her to go on a walk with him? _Oh wow! I can't believe it! _The giddy side of her screamed, though she'd never show that reaction to anyone. _This is kind of sad…I wonder if I could consider this a date? Oh, who am I kidding…He's probably taking pity on me for being stuck with Mugen all day…Rather, being stuck in his home all day._

She shrugged, moving towards the door. "Are you sure I can just leave like that?"

Shinsuke pretended to contemplate his answer, even throwing a look at Mugen before redirecting his attention to Fuu. "I don't think he'll mind. Besides, I work with him anyways…What could I possibly do?" He flashed her a boyish grin, shutting the door behind them as they walked down the hallways and to the outdoors.

Fuu inhaled a large amount of air, smiling as she exhaled. It felt so good to just relax and not worry. She spread her arms out, as if she were getting ready to take to the skies. Shinsuke laughed as she began to lose balance, quickly clutching her by the arm.

"You're a klutz, aren't you?" He asked playfully.

Fuu rolled her eyes before grinning. "I've been told…"

Moments of silence settled between them, though Fuu found it somewhat comfortable. She didn't feel the constant pressure of Mugen staring at her, watching her like a hawk; it was as if he was just _waiting _for her to do something wrong. Her sudden irritation with him came back full force as she turned determinedly to Shinsuke.

"I want out of this place."

Shinsuke gave her a bemused look at the outright statement she had just made. "No can do. It's not my place to decide what to do with you." He shoved his hands in his pocket, not wanting to deal with the fact that she was becoming upset with him.

"But you don't understand—Mugen is…is…" Fuu paused, remembering the times he _could _be nice. It wasn't very fair to judge him, but the fact that he kidnapped her against her will was enough to stop the guilt feeling. "What he did was wrong! You've gotta help!" She pleaded.

"What he did may have been wrong, but he's only doing what he's told." Shinsuke reasoned.

"Doing what he's told? That hardly sounds like Mugen." She scoffed, folding her arms.

"It doesn't, I know." He grinned with a shrug of the shoulders. "But for the time being, you've got to deal with it. You'll find a way out of this."

Fuu looked back at him, letting a small smile touch the corners of her lips. It was amazing how he so easily lightened the mood. She let out a small sigh, turning her head upwards to enjoy the endless streams of stars with the huge, full moon looming above them.

--

When Fuu came back in, bidding goodnight to Shinsuke, she found Mugen in the same position that she had left him in previously. _What am I going to do with you?_ Despite the fact he seemed like a lazy drunk, Fuu still trusted him with her safety, for whatever reason. _Maybe not one hundred percent trust…But pretty close._

Sighing, she dropped herself to the floor beside the couch. She picked up the remote and began flipping through the channels, letting Mugen's soft snoring sift through her ears. That horrible guilt feeling was creeping on her conscious again, forcing her to think of all the times he had been somewhat nice. Like the time he paid for all those clothes, or the way he allowed her to live in his home like it were her own. It could've been worse, she reasoned.

Her body quickly jolted when she felt his arm drop on her shoulder lazily. She slowly turned her head to glance at the arm resting on her shoulder, his hand dangling off on the side. For some reason, she couldn't seem to catch her breath, and her heart started beating rapidly. _What do I do?! Ohh, what do I do?! _She knew it was childish of her to fret over something like this, when all she had to do was simply remove his arm from her shoulder. But the warm feeling she got scared her. It shouldn't have been there, especially in his drunken state.

Instead of sitting there and thinking it over some more, she quickly removed her from the position she was in, watching his arm hang lazily off the couch. Wiping the perspiration with the back of her hand, she toddled upstairs, casting worrisome looks over her shoulder. The best part was, he wouldn't even know any of this happened, since he was out cold.

Fuu leaned against the door of the bedroom lightly, blowing out an exasperated breath. Sometimes she wanted to strangle herself for being so difficult. Because of one little touch, she went crazy. Besides, she was pretty sure she was attracted to Shinsuke. He was charming, kind, and likable, despite the fact that he was in a league with Mugen.

_Maybe he's in a league with Mugen…Job-wise. But personality-wise? Mugen is way out of Shinsuke's league. Shinsuke's nice. Mugen is just…Weird._

However, she couldn't seem to go with those thoughts. Somehow they seemed wrong…She shrugged and buried herself under the covers, twirling a strand of hair thoughtfully. The thing she found saddest was that she was already becoming attracted to people she had only known for a few days. _People? You mean person! You can't stand Mugen…Besides, he has that girl hanging around him. Why should he even count?_ That thought seemed to settle all previous doubt as she let her eyelids close.

--

It was twelve in the afternoon, and the streets were somewhat empty. Jin wasn't too surprised though, considering this wasn't the nicest area of town. The dilapidated building looked as if it had undergone tornados, earthquakes, and hell, maybe a tsunami. He eyed it with distaste, wondering how the girl could stand such extremities.

Once he had bumped into the pair at the shopping district, he knew it'd be wise to follow them. By the time the two had entered the building, he was sure he was looking right at Fuu Kasumi. Jin found it odd that she seemed so comfortable with this man…

Now that he thought about it, he didn't really _know _who this guy was. However, his strong suspicions kept tugging him in the direction of Regression. His mind hadn't doubted it for a second. As he mulled over a plan to set into action, he figured he'd take it slow. For now, the girl seemed safe and unharmed.

It's just that he couldn't take too many chances. If he took too much precious time, the girl could wind up dead in a dumpster for all he knew.

His thoughts were interrupted when the door to the apartment complex opened, revealing the young, unkempt man. Jin quickly hid around the corner of a building so that he wouldn't be seen. If he blew his cover now…If the man remembered he had seen Jin at one point, his plan would go to shambles. He let out a steady breath.

This wasn't going to be easy.

--

"Where are you going now?" Fuu asked, stirring something in a small pot.

"Headquarters." Mugen replied, pulling on his jacket. "I'll be out for a bit."

"Alright then," Fuu said offhandedly.

Mugen slowed down his actions, wondering why she wasn't pestering him as much. However he simply proceeded to open the door and lock it behind him. Fuu grinned to herself as she walked over to the door and pressed her ear against it. The door was made to block out sounds, however the faint thumping of Mugen's boots against the floor could be heard. When they disappeared, Fuu darted into the kitchen as if she were running out of time for something, which was actually true.

She tugged open one of the kitchen drawers, drawing out a knife. With a little patience, and some persistency, she could unlock that door. A smile of triumph erupted onto her face as she eagerly began to slide the knife into the crack of the door.

"This has gotta work…It's gotta…" She muttered, her tongue sticking out to the side in contemplation.

She desperately forced the knife into various areas of the door, hoping it would eventually meet the lock of the door. Already an hour had passed with her attempts, and she was growing anxious. Mugen could be arriving within the next hour, and if she was caught, all hell would break loose—that she was sure of.

This thought sent her working like mad, sweat pouring down her forehead and sliding down the bridge of her nose to where it would drip off the tip. With one final jerk, the lock clicked, signaling her task was finished. She smiled with joy as she rested her hand on the door handle and tentatively pulled it open, as if it might not work out like she had thought. Joy was the only thing to describe her thoughts and feelings as she dropped the sweaty knife and bolted out into the hallway.

She checked both corners, in case someone were to arrive. Seeing no one, she quickly made her way to the window at the end of the hallway where she knew a fire escape rested. Her smile couldn't be contained at this point as she lifted the latch up on the window, grunting as she exerted a lot of force on it. Obviously it hadn't been in use for a long, long time.

The rickety, red fire escape shook under her weight, moaning in protest as she shut the window. She trembled slightly as she delicately placed one foot in front of the other till she made her way down. Fuu jumped off the last step, touching the gravelly ground.

She cautiously looked around her but was satisfied to find no one watching. This plan was going way better than she had expected, considering she hadn't even _had _one.

"Well, score 1 for Fuu…" She muttered before setting off at an easy jog. She knew her life was in jeopardy, but at this point, she just wanted to feel free. However, she didn't exactly know _where _to go. Right now, she could easily slip back into that shopping district she had gone to with Mugen…But it could be risky. Mugen could be prowling that area, though she knew he did hate the public…

With a determined look set upon her face, she marched off in that direction, hoping it'd be a clean escape.

--

"I'm beginning to worry about your position with the girl." Nagatomi began, eyeing the young man before him. "One of my several spies claimed to have seen you lurking about the shopping center near your home. Mind explaining why you would do something so reckless?" He gave a cheshire smile, clasping his hands together.

"Goddamn it, I need a cig…" He mumbled before locking eyes with the man. "Oh. Right. She needed clothes," he shrugged as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

"Clothes?" Nagatomi echoed, slightly taken aback. "You jeopardized everything because of a girl's need to shop?"

"Well when you put it like _that_," Mugen started, scratching the back of his head with a cheesy grin. "Who am I to ignore a young girl's request? Plus, she's pretty annoying. _Try _living one day with her in the same room. It'd kill you."

Nagatomi shook his head with silent prayers flitting around his mind. "Just…Just make sure it doesn't happen again."

"Will do." With an overdone salute, he zipped out of the building.

--

"Let's see…" Fuu mumbled, reading the subway's time logs. "I can get home on this route within…Thirty minutes!" She exclaimed excitedly. This was turning out to be so much easier than she had expected.

_And all it cost was a few days stuck with Mugen…_She thought dryly.

Luckily she still had some money left over, enough that would pay for her fare. A few people cast her strange looks, ones that were used as if recognizing someone, but they quickly shook their heads and went back to their own tasks. Fuu was grateful that she wasn't a big deal in this area of town.

The thirty minutes seemed to drag on, and Fuu could barely contain herself. Home was just a hop, skip, and jump away at this point. When the subway suddenly lurched and then abruptly stopped, Fuu nearly shoved her way through the many passengers. Her feet were already dragging her towards her home, and as she passed by certain places, she suddenly felt comfortable. She knew where she was.

After fifteen minutes of taking a few turns and shoving past people who seemed to have no care in the world, she stopped outside her apartment complex. It was all so surreal…She couldn't believe she was already home, without the help of anyone else. Fuu breathed in a small amount of fresh air, before grinning.

Just as she headed for the doors, an arm quickly grabbed her and jostled her around to the back of the complex.

"Hey!" She screeched, kicking her legs in protest. "Put me down now!"

Her attempts were futile however, as she was gently pressed against the wall. Finally taking a look at her captor, her jaw dropped.

"Shinsuke?" She whispered.

He grinned in response, releasing her wrists slowly. "You almost got away there, didn't you?" He grinned as if this were all a game.

"I…How…When…" Fuu struggled to sound coherent, but she couldn't figure out _how _he found her. She had double-checked! "How did you find me?!" She finally sputtered.

"It was quite easy really…With the help of my knack for good timing," he winked. "Anyways, I saw you leaving, and I instantly knew you were paranoid. Obviously you were escaping."

"So you just followed me…" She concluded dully. "Can't…Can't you just forget this ever happened and let me go?" She pleaded.

Shinsuke shook his head, somewhat regretfully. "No can do. Believe me when I say it kills me to do this, but I just can't. It's not my place…Besides, you could learn to stand it…Mugen's not such a bad guy, is he?" He supplied, less than helpfully.

"He's nothing short of stupid, annoying, and reckless."

"Well, yeah. But that's how he is," Shinsuke replied as if that settled the manner.

"Just…Let's get this over with." She calmly said, moving to walk in front of him.

Shinsuke's eyes slightly widened, wondering why she was accepting defeat so easily. She had way more spirit than that. In a way, it was somewhat heartbreaking that she'd give up after being so close. However, it made things easier on him, so he wasn't about to openly complain.

"Come on then," he said softly.

--

"Where the _hell _have you been?!" Mugen shouted, not caring if the door was open and people might be able to hear him.

Fuu gave him a scowl as Shinsuke closed the door behind them lightly. "Geez, _dad_. Maybe if you paid more attention, you wouldn't be in this mess." Shinsuke stifled a laugh at this.

"That ain't funny, bitch. I could've lost my head for this! Same goes to you too, by the way. Remember how our lives are practically linked? Oh, who am I kidding! Of course you wouldn't know, considering the crazy ass stunt you pulled!"

"Just stop screaming," Fuu said, her body growing livid. "Shinsuke found me anyways."

"Whatever," he mumbled.

Shinsuke sighed lightly, before latching his hand onto the doorknob. "I guess I'll be seeing you around then." He quickly gave Fuu a reassuring pat on the shoulder before closing the door behind him.

"I swear, sometimes I could just kill you," he spat.

"Go castrate yourself."

She airily made her way up the stairs, choosing to ignore all the insults he hurled at her, slamming the bedroom door shut. Mugen grimaced at the sound, turning to the unpleasant-looking couch. Another night…

Fuu threw herself onto the bed, letting her body bounce slightly before it sank into the bed. Sometimes he was just so immature and spastic! Sure she escaped and nearly cost them both their lives…But if it hadn't been for Shinsuke, it would've been a rather clean escape on her part—something she was quite proud of. But life seemed to favor siding against her these days…

As she turned on her side, her thoughts drifted to the money that her father had hidden. She had no idea where it could've been…But something was tickling the edges of her mind, as if taunting her with the answer to end all miseries. However, when she pressed her mind for the answer, it fleeted away, teasingly. It was as if the thought had never even occurred to her. She cursed her bad memory as she fisted some of the blanket.

She was already convinced she had a death date on her.

* * *

**AN: **Share your thoughts? 


	6. Vulnerable

**AN: **Just wanted to give a major **THANK YOU! **to all those who have been reading/reviewing this story. It's a pleasure to be able to read all your kind comments and such. I'm seriously grateful for you guys! And as per usual, sorry for any inconsistencies/errors. It's amazing how bad my memory is that I can't even remember what goes on in my own fic.

**Disclaimer: **Never owned Samurai Champloo, never will.

**On the Edge of All Reason**

**Chapter Five: Vulnerable**

_A small dojo-like house sat atop a hill, overlooking the grassy meadows. A woman stood outside, hanging the laundry while a little girl watched her intently. The woman, her mother, was smiling contently as her lips moved. She was telling her a story of when she was younger. The girl giggled and smiled the whole time. _

"_Daddy!" She shrieked when she saw a man step out the backdoor. He waved slightly at her, allowing her to run and clutch her arms around his waist. He let out a deep, throaty laugh. _

_Serenity._

Fuu opened her eyes wearily, the sun still making its way over the horizon. A shuddered sigh escaped her lips at the memory. She could feel her heart beginning to burst at the image of her parents. With a disgruntled groan, she pushed aside the covers and walked across the small hallway to the bathroom. She leaned over the sink and turned on the cold water to splash it across her face.

After drying off her face, she went down the stairs quietly, surprised to see Mugen awake on the couch. The TV's glow was reflecting on him, casting a blue hue. He looked up at her, his features tight and weary. Mugen waved at her slightly as she slowly made her way towards him.

"Hey," he mumbled, a little cautious after last night.

Fuu merely nodded at him, making her way over to the kitchen. Her motions were slightly jerky as she grabbed a cereal box and filled a bowl up with it. Mugen watched her actions with a guarded expression, wondering what she was thinking. It actually made him feel guilty to think that she was acting this way because of him. Guilt—something he didn't normally acknowledge.

"Stop staring at me," she spat. "It's just annoying." She plunked herself at the table, shoving spoonfuls into her mouth.

A roll of the eyes was all she received as an answer, though her back was turned to him so it went unnoticed. "Look, I'm…I'm sorry. I was being a jackass, yeah, but this is important, y'know? We've gotta be more careful next time."

Fuu cast a strange look at him over her shoulder. "I'm sick of this," was all she said before dumping her bowl in the kitchen and heading upstairs. Instead of leaving her alone like she thought he would, he followed suit, his long strides easily catching up with hers as she tried to shut the bedroom door on him.

"Let me in, Fuu." He grunted, as she finally pushed him away, locking the door. He began to pound on it, yelling at her to open it. "You can't do this forever!" Boy did this feel like déjà vu…

"Leave me alone!" She hissed from the other side. He could tell she was leaning against the door since her voice was clear and loud. Mugen heard her sliding against the door, to the ground. Deciding to mimic her actions, he sat himself on the ground as well, both their backs to the door now.

Several minutes of silence passed, and Mugen could've sworn he'd felt the door rattle slightly along with the sound of sniffling and tears.

"I miss them," she suddenly croaked.

Mugen rolled his eyes half-heartedly. "Who?"

The door rattled again, and he knew her sobs were becoming more violent. "My parents."

Silence was the only thing floating through the air at this point, save for the sobbing noises coming from Fuu. He didn't know what to say really. There hadn't been a time in his own life where he could relate. In fact, he didn't remember his own parents, much less care about them. They were merely some figures in a distant past.

"I had a dream…A dream of memory I guess. I didn't really remember the place where we were, but it felt familiar. My mom was outside," she stopped abruptly, choking on her sobs. "…She was outside hanging some laundry. She was telling me a story…And then my dad came outside, and he was smiling. It was just…" She trailed off, searching for the right words. "So peaceful."

"Well…" Mugen started, not sure of what he should say. "That's good, right? You can keep those memories in mind, instead of the bad ones."

Fuu stifled a laugh at his attempts in cheering her up. "Yeah, I guess." She stood up to unlock the door. When he heard the click of the door unlocking, he stood up abruptly.

"Feeling better?" A look of panic was evident in his eyes. It was apparent he had never really dealt with teenage girls in the middle of a breakdown. She looked up at him and smiled, the first true smile he felt he had ever seen from her.

"Yeah…Thanks. For not being an ass and everything," she only smiled wider at his glare.

His glare quickly dissolved though, as he took a long look at her. He _did _worry about her, if only a little. Because really, she was only a kid. Seventeen wasn't much to be satisfied with life, and she had been put into one of the worst scenarios he could think of. Looking into her eyes though, he saw that she was still sad, still angry, but at least…She was still hopeful.

"You're angry," he stated bluntly.

Fuu looked up at him, slightly taken aback. "What?"

"You're angry," he repeated, suddenly feeling a pang in his chest.

"Well…Yeah. I mean, this isn't exactly the best of places to be, Mugen. No offense or anything. But it's no picnic being kidnapped and having your lifespan potentially shortened."

"I see." Mugen bit back, stomping down the stairs.

Fuu rushed out the room, staring at his back as he hastily grabbed his jacket. She struggled to understand what was going on with the sudden change in attitude. One minute, he was all supportive, and the next, he was angered. How could he possibly blame her for not liking where she currently was? For god sakes, she had been kidnapped!

"What the heck is your problem?" She shouted, unable to control her temper any longer.

Mugen looked back at her, the jacket slung over his shoulder. "You."

Fuu's mouth hung open before she closed it. However, it merely dropped open again in pure shock. Was it _possible _for men to suffer mood swings? As he reached over to open the door, she raced down the stairs and grabbed a hold of his arm. There was no way she'd let him lock her up in this forsaken place with those words hanging over her head. He attempted to shake her off, though she knew he was waiting to listen since he wasn't struggling hard.

"I don't get what you mean…Why'd you snap like that?" She asked, getting straight to the point.

An exasperated sigh escaped his lips as he raked a free hand through his messy hair. "I'm not letting you get off the hook so easy, Mugen!" She snapped.

"I just…Don't like this situation at all," he finally replied.

Fuu stood there, curiosity taking over her anger. "So do I…But I don't think that's the reason you acted that way. You're too cocky and laidback to get worked up over something unless it's seriously bothering you. And you didn't seem too bothered with this situation in the first place."

Mugen didn't reply, rather he stood there, forehead pressed lightly against the door. It was obvious to Fuu that there was inner turmoil going on within him. She was at a loss of what to do. So instinctively, she wrapped her arms around his back, trying to ease comfort into him. It was funny how she never thought of this from his viewpoint.

His body stiffened the moment she embraced him, but slowly his body relaxed and he fell into her arms. He could feel her forehead pressed against his back. It was strange how she had such a calming effect on him. Somehow, he wasn't as worried, tensed. Suddenly, his mind snapped back to reality, and he pushed her away from him gently.

However, Fuu didn't glare at him or toss some scathing remark at him. She chose to watch him instead, sadness filling to the rim in her eyes.

"I have to go."

With that, he left the apartment, not looking back.

--

Mugen drew a pack of cigarettes from his jacket, silently relieved that they were still in his jacket. Right now, his mind was so frazzled that a good, long smoke would clear his nerves. Lately, he was so jittery and irritated. He blamed the girl. She was doing this to him somehow. He figured guilt must've manifested itself into his mind. Every time he was reminded of her age, he felt his heartstrings pull. She was just a kid. Just a kid.

But this was his job…And he never let anything get in the way.

Mugen took a long drag, exhaling the gray smoke into the air. A cold wind whistled by him, sailing off into the gray sky. It was a cloudy day, and from the looks of it, one to be filled with thunderstorms. He loved the rain—it made his job so much easier. His job…It seemed to be more of a babysitter now. Although by normal standards, he'd be doing a horrible job, seeing as he left her alone a lot.

Alone…He knew what it must be like to suffer that way. Hell, he had been alone his whole life. But he didn't call it suffering. It was all normal for him.

With the flick of the wrist, he dropped the cigarette to the ground and extinguished it. He began to make his way back to his apartment, fumbling for a minute for the keys. God, he hated carrying around so much crap. However, he was stunned to find out he had left the door unlocked. Twisting open the door, he found it eerily silent. He strode over to the sink to see that the bowl Fuu had used earlier was still there. The TV had been left on, showing some sort of sitcom. Suspicion rose in his chest as he made his way upstairs, only to find the bedroom and bathroom unoccupied.

"Girl?" He called out, wondering where she could've gone. "Come out here brat. This isn't funny!" He hollered, losing his patience. And that's when worry began to hit him. "Fuu?"

_God! I'm so damn stupid. I left the door unlocked, and now someone's either taken her, or she's escaped. Goddamn it! _He pushed a shaky hand through his hair, a habit he had been adopting as of late.

It was then that he decided to go up to the rooftop to see if he could scour her out from a bird's eye view. It was a long shot, but he figured he might as well try. Right now, both their lives depended on her. With that thought firmly in his mind, he raced up the stairs that led to the roof. He was caught off guard however, when he saw Fuu sitting there, knees tucked to her chest. She seemed so little right there, curled into a defenseless ball.

"Goddamn it, Fuu. Why do you do this…" He muttered, walking over to her before sitting down and spreading his legs out in front of him, while his hands were behind, supporting him.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Mugen gave her an odd look. "What?"

"I'm probably such a burden…I know you didn't really have a choice. Well…Actually, I think you did. It just would be a harder one, right? I mean, you'd get in a lot of trouble. Either way," she shook her head. "I guess I'm just more than you bargained for. I'm an emotional mess, huh? Maybe it's a result of not grieving back when my dad died, or when my mom died two years ago.

"It's so funny how it took a situation like this to force me to tears, y'know? For some reason, I feel guilty for their deaths—or maybe it's just me repenting for the fact that I didn't cry for either of them. Not until now at least." She sighed, looking out to the horizon.

Mugen cast her a sideways glance, pondering over what to say. A thought suddenly struck him. Maybe he didn't _need _to speak words to show he was listening. Instead, he chose to place his hand over hers lightly. Fuu looked up at him, shock clearly evident in her features.

"Just repaying the favor."

--

By now, Jin had formulated a somewhat sketchy plan. It wasn't too elaborate, but once part one was successful, he'd take it from there. He picked up the two katanas, weighing them each in his hands. A thick layer of dust coated their sheathes and hilts, signaling signs of their long dormancy. He blew on them lightly, allowing some of the dust particles to sail away.

Jin drew out one of the swords, a rusty metal noise following it. In one quick moment, he had eased into the basic stance he had been taught before thrusting the sword out in front of him at an invisible opponent. A smirk touched his lips as realized he still had it. He eased back into his regular position, holding the sword loosely at his hip while pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose.

Now it was just a matter of joining Retrogression undercover. He'd be keeping close watch, hidden out of the public eye of course, and scope out for the man who was currently in possession of the kidnapped girl. That'd be his ticket into getting in.

He popped his neck casually, rubbing the crook of his neck in an attempt to soothe his sore muscles. This was a major risk, but his whole duty as a cop was a major risk to begin with.

This was going to be one hell of a case.

--

The next day in the early afternoon, there was a knock on Mugen's door. Fuu glanced at Mugen who was naturally on the couch, pressing the remote button mindlessly.

"Aren't you going to answer it?"

"No."

Fuu gave him a perturbed look, wondering how he even got through life with an attitude like that. When the knocking stopped, Fuu shrugged her shoulders and went back to flipping through the newspaper spread out on the table before her. That's when she heard the jangling of keys and figured it must've been Shinsuke. No wonder Mugen didn't bother.

"Hey," Shinsuke said, walking in the door, though this time, he wasn't alone. Fuu waved back listlessly as she openly stared at the newcomer.

Mugen got out of his couch with newfound energy, glaring daggers at Shinsuke. "Who the hell is _that_?" He asked, jabbing a thumb in the direction of the man. Shinsuke gave a 'hm?' response before turning to the man behind him.

"Oh! This would be Jin." He gave a cheesy grin. "He looks like a great guy for the organization, right?"

Mugen looked Jin up and down before giving a scowl. "No."

And while all this went on, Fuu couldn't help but think that he did like a perfect member for the organization. But the last thing she wanted was more members being added, especially ones who looked as deadly as him. His raven hair was pulled into a tight, semi-high ponytail while glasses that didn't seem to go with the picture were perched upon his nose. Either way, it didn't deter from the image of a cold-blooded killer. She found it odd that the man named Jin kept giving her these cold stares, as if he were studying her. So she gulped and focused her attention back to the paper.

"Well too bad," Shinsuke finally announced. "Nagatomi already accepted him in. Great isn't it?" He patted the stiff Jin on the back, smiling proudly. "By the way, he's being added to your cell. Meaning, you and him might have to double-up on missions sometimes."

Mugen would've nearly killed the young man before him for acting so cheeky and smug.

"Lovely," he chose to drawl out instead, making sure Jin could sense every ounce of his sarcasm and detest.

Jin merely chose to smirk at him, feeling confident enough to do so. His whole plan had gone far easier than he expected. Rather than finding Mugen, he had been brought to the man instead. And all thanks to Shinsuke. He was glad to find his suspicions correct on the fact that Mugen was indeed part of Retrogression, and Fuu was under his supervision. Funny how everything seemed to pull itself all together, once he had overheard Shinsuke talking to another man about the organization right outside the apartment where he was sure Mugen resided, which was when he decided to show himself. It wasn't that hard to be accepted in the organization either, seeing as all he had to do was spar with someone. Regardless, they were obviously in need of someone with above average fighting skills, something Jin was proud to say he had. It was just a matter of not letting his cover slip after going through that interrogation with Rikiei Nagatomi and the background checks.

"Well Jin," Shinsuke clapped him on the back. "Let's get going then since Mugen is such a downer, right?"

Jin merely nodded, sending one last glance in the direction of Fuu. Mugen caught this and gave an odd look at Fuu who hadn't seen the look from Jin. He was about to ask if she knew him when Shinsuke interrupted.

"Hey Fuu!" She snapped her head up at this.

"Yeah?"

"We should talk sometime." He winked before closing the door behind him.

Fuu could feel the heat enveloping her cheeks as she tried to avoid Mugen's gaze while reading the paper. But right now, the print on the newspaper was all jumbling together and she felt slightly dizzy. Groaning, she folded up the newspaper and set it on the edge of table. Mugen's eyes watched her all the way up to where she shut the bedroom door.

He was beginning to wonder why Shinsuke was actually making the effort to get attached to the girl. It was annoying him, needless to say. Maybe it was him getting overprotective, or maybe it was just his dislike towards the young man.

Mugen chose at this point to lie on his back on the couch, his hands behind his head for support.

"I hate kids."

* * *

**AN: **So...I think at least a little action is happening? On Jin's part maybe? Share your thoughts? 


	7. Risky Racket

**AN: **I'm finally back from my trip with the newest chapter! I'm kind of mad with myself for making Yatsuha seem like such a whore/bitch. ToT; I love you Yatsuha! Oh yeah, the chapter title is a reference to the episode title that featured Shinsuke! It's a sort of pun, and you'll see why near the end of the chapter. Sorry for errors as usual…

**Disclaimer: **Well, I obviously don't own Samurai Champloo. But don't we all wish?

**On the Edge of All Reason**

**Chapter Six: Risky Racket **

"It took you long enough," said Shinsuke, plopping himself onto the wooden chair. Jin merely gave him a raised brow in response before sipping his tea again. Shinsuke rolled his eyes knowingly, due to the fact that it was in Jin's nature to be silent and rather unresponsive.

"Well, it's good that you got through the background checks." Shinsuke said once more and was greeted by the small clanging sound of Jin setting his empty cup of tea on its saucer.

Shinsuke gave an irritable sigh before getting up and retreating for his room. The apartment was small with only two rooms and one bathroom, but it suited his needs just fine. After all, it was only temporary. He took a detour, heading to the bathroom instead to wash his face. His whole body felt dirty at the fact that he was involved with some psychotic group, and he felt as if dirt was clogging his face every moment of his life, even in his dreams.

He turned the faucet on and let the water dribble out of the spout. His hands were clasped on each side of the sink as he stared at the drain in the middle. His eyebrows were knotted together in concentration and annoyance. This undercover duty was getting to be a pain in the ass. And it pained him to lie to this girl, lead her on with false information, that he was some sort of criminal, when in actuality, he was the counterpart to one. But this was the job as a police officer…And he couldn't let feelings get in the way of his job.

Quickly splashing water on his face, he left the bathroom and retreated to his small room. It contained only the bare necessities; a bed with a faded, dark red blanket sat in the corner, while a small, circular window was set in the wall so that the sun's rays would hit him in the morning. A decent dresser sat so that it was slightly facing his bed, filled with barely any clothes and a few bars of soap.

But he wasn't complaining—he had put himself in this position. Once this mission was over, he'd go back to living in his nicer apartment, filled with much more appliances.

As he lied on the bed, his thoughts drifted to Mugen. A small smirk erupted on his features as a small chuckle escaped his lips. He was truly a rebel without a cause, stuck in the past that textbooks created. It would be a horrible surprise when reality came crashing down on him.

--

"That guy seemed pretty cold," Fuu mused, thinking of Jin. Mugen snorted in response, moving the frying pan filled with rice. A towel was draped over his right shoulder as he blankly stirred the rice occasionally. For some reason, he hated that Jin guy the minute he saw him walk through that doorway.

"He's just stupid." Mugen retorted finally, not bothering to look at Fuu.

She rolled her eyes. "Intelligent response." She stated dryly.

"Yeah, well, all geniuses need a break too." He mumbled, turning off the stove and dumping some of the rice in a bowl and sliding it over to Fuu. She glanced at it, an eyebrow raised.

"You call this dinner? You know, I offered to cook…"

"Shut up."

"Touchy." Fuu grinned slightly, enjoying the fact that he was easy to provoke. Their meaningless banter had become a part of her daily life, and it'd be considered odd if that ceased to exist these days. She sighed, settling her head in her hand as she stirred the rice around with her spoon. Suddenly, she wasn't too hungry anymore…

"Aren't you gonna eat?" Mugen asked, though it was hard to decipher, for he was already shoving spoonfuls of rice into his mouth. Fuu shook her head lightly.

"I'm feeling sort of sick."

Mugen gulped down his food, carelessly throwing the empty bowl in the sink. "You better take care of that yourself. I don't want to spend money on you anymore than I already have."

"I don't know what I'd do without you," Fuu sneered.

"Probably die," Mugen grinned. "I'm pretty much your knight in shining armor. By force you could say. It's not like I go around saving flat-chested teenage girls all the time." Fuu's face was slowly turning a light shade of red.

"Sorry I'm not one of those whores that you most likely sleep with daily!" She spat before power walking to her room upstairs.

Mugen stood there, jaw slightly slack with astonishment. He couldn't understand why she had taken that comment to heart when she usually bounced right back with an insult of her own. It was downright strange, but then again she had seemed somewhat preoccupied before dinner. Maybe he had said too much, but then again, he didn't really care. Within a month or two, she'd be out of his hair.

But that didn't sound right, even to his own ears. For some reason, it seemed far too…Heartless. In all honesty, he did somewhat care for her, even if his ways of showing it were not so conventional. _Oh god…_That horrible urge to smoke a cigarette was creeping behind his back again. After debating with the bad habit, he caved in. Deciding to not even have the common courtesy to do it outside, he grabbed a cigarette from one of the kitchen drawers where he kept them stocked and headed over to the couch.

He grabbed a lighter sitting on the coffee table, and the flame spurted out just as Fuu came trailing back down the stairs. She coughed lightly as Mugen exhaled the grey smoke. She made a point to glare at him before deciding to waltz over to him and sit beside him. Her brown eyes were filled with reproach, which Mugen caught out of the corner of his eye.

"What?" He questioned, the cigarette dangling loosely between his lips. Fuu chose this moment to quickly snatch the cigarette away, making Mugen erupt into a fit of sputtering and coughs, the smoke having gone into his lungs.

"What the _hell _was that for?!"

Fuu glared, though a small smile was playing at her lips. "Just saving your life, one small cigarette at a time."

Mugen glared, but as reclined back into the sofa, his eyes softened.

--

Yatsuha smirked, crossing her arms against her chest.

"So. You're the new guy." She stated, pointedly staring at Jin who chose to make no motion of having listened to her.

"Ah, cold and quiet…Charming as ever," she drawled, trailing back to her desk to pick up a small pocketbook. "Regardless, I have all your information recorded in here."

Jin nodded slightly, though he found this conversation dull. "Is this all you wished to converse about?"

Yatsuha raised a brow before smiling. She slowly sauntered over to him, her hazel eyes never breaking contact with his black, cold ones. A smirk appeared on her face as he stared at her, unflinchingly. She then decided to dare and edge towards him, laying a hand lightly on his chest. Leaning in close to his ear in what would've looked like a slightly suggestive and seductive look, she whispered.

"Don't think I'm not onto you…"

--

"Are you kidding?" Shinsuke asked, barely looking at Jin as he slapped some papers carelessly on the table in their apartment. "So she thinks she has you all figured out, eh?" He laughed derisively.

Jin raised a brow at this, slightly concerned for the young man's response. "You should be taking this seriously. She sounded pretty confident."

Shinsuke spared a moment to look up at Jin with a bland look. "She's bluffing. There's a reason she's one of those critical thinkers in this organization. She knows how to get inside your head and mess with you. For someone of your caliber…Well. You should be fine," Shinsuke replied with nonchalance.

Jin only gave a small frown. Somehow, he wasn't convinced. The woman seemed too tactical for his liking. And her choice of words offered no comfort. It was as if she had been following him around this whole time like a slinking shadow, running along the walls. With the way this organization was built, he wouldn't be surprised if someone _was_ stalking him. And what better way to rattle his nerves than a gorgeous woman?

"Tell me about her." Jin suddenly said.

Shinsuke looked up with a frown. "There's not much to say about her. A conniving bitch," he spat sourly. "Oh yeah, she seems to be involved with that Mugen guy." He smiled cynically. "The poor bastard."

"And why do you say this?"

Shinsuke rolled his eyes. "Would you take a look at her? She's one of those women who'll do anything to get everything. There's a reason she's valuable to the organization. She'll seduce the information from you and leave you to be killed. She has no heart. Besides, she has a tendency to move on from one guy to the next. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if all the men in the organization were wrapped around her finger at some point or another." He paused. "Hell, she's probably been with Nagatomi at this rate." He shrugged at this, resuming his work.

"Somebody got played," Jin sneered.

"What?!" Shinsuke looked up abruptly, an indignant look on his face. "You know shit."

Jin merely smirked as Shinsuke scoffed at this, angrily slapping random papers into folders.

If Yatsuha thought she was cunning, she had another thing coming.

He walked over to his bedroom and dressed into his night clothes, standing silently by his bed. The pale moonlight split into broken shards on his wooden floor, casting an eerie glow. He looked over at his two swords propped against the wall near his bed. They gleamed dangerously in the moonlight, and he couldn't help but be reminded of the blood he had spilt from long ago.

--

Fuu lazily opened her eyes, trying to register where she was. She suddenly shot up as if she were a rocket getting ready to launch into space. Looking around wildly, she took notice that she was propped against one end of the sofa, her arms draped over the armrest. Her feet were barely grazing Mugen's legs. Deciding to dare at look up at Mugen, she saw his arms were draped against the top of the sofa, his head titled back. She cringed at his earth-shattering snores.

Her cheeks felt hot with embarrassment and anger at herself for being so careless. They must've fallen asleep later that night after she had taken the cigarette away from him. All she remembered was watching the television in amicable silence. Fuu cursed herself for getting into these kinds of situations.

_At least I'm lucky enough that he's never awake when these sorts of things happen_, she thought gratefully. However, all this gratefulness slowly drained out of her when she heard the stirrings of a certain, messy-haired man. All she could do was inwardly groan at the scene that would unfold.

Mugen's eyes tiredly opened as he yawned and scratched the back of his head. After stretching out his sinewy arms and adjusting his eyes to the soft morning light, he blinked in confusion when he saw the embarrassed form of Fuu rather…Close to him.

"Well…"

"Well…" She echoed back, unsure of what to do next.

But instead of him making obscene remarks, he got up to his feet and yawned some more before lazily tripping into the kitchen. Fuu watched with absurd fascination, silently counting down the seconds in which he would comment on the situation, but it was a fruitless attempt.

_Idiot_, her eyes narrowed in his direction as he leaned his head into the fridge.

Scooting herself until she was off the couch, she jogged into the kitchen, stealthily pushing Mugen aside.

"I'm cooking today. So move it. Out of this kitchen!"

He gave her a scowl and perturbed look before complying with her mandatory commands. He tottered out of the kitchen, a seemingly drunken sway permanently etched into his walking style.

Fuu watched him disapprovingly before turning her attention to the stove. Right now, she needed her mind to get focused on anything but what her thoughts were currently directed at. It was infuriating how easily she succumbed to the giddy, girlish side of her. Sometimes she felt like stabbing herself with a rusty, dull spoon from the 1800s if it meant not having to deal with her inner teenage-self.

Mugen cringed when he heard the slamming of pans and plates. She was obviously in a sore mood, and he couldn't, for the life of him, figure out why. Things seemed quite normal this morning…So what could've caused the mood shift? Shrugging, he turned on the television. He was quite positive that it was some silly girl problem that would sort itself out.

That, and he just hated dealing with angry girls.

Breakfast had been less than enjoyable, although the food seemed edible enough. However, Mugen did have to question why she didn't trust him in the kitchen. He'd been living by himself, hadn't he? Besides, he had cooked for her before and it wasn't so bad! He grumbled, feeling like his pride had just taken a stab to the heart.

By noon, Fuu seemed to have returned back to normal, though air of annoyance was still hovering near her. But the half-glances Mugen would send her way before quickly breaking contact when she caught him irritated her. He kept throwing these slightly scared looks when she scowled back at him. Baby.

Only an hour later had Fuu come out of the shower when Mugen announced he was going to headquarters.

"What?" She asked rather stupidly.

"I'm—going—out—to—headquarters," he pronounced slowly as if teaching a toddler to read. Fuu glared.

"I heard what you said!" She snapped. "Just why are you going there?"

"Business matters. I don't go there to fool around y'know."

A dark look crossed Fuu's face. "Sure." _Except for that whatsherface lady. _

Mugen watched her carefully as a series of emotions crossed her face before quietly grabbing his jacket. Just as he was about to leave, Fuu raced over and grabbed him by the arm. "Hold up!"

"What now?" He sighed irritably.

"I want to see this boss of yours and have a word with him, that's what!"

For a few moments, Mugen stood silent, and Fuu was under the impression that he was mulling over her request. However, she received a rather rude awakening. Mugen clutched his sides before howling with laughter. Fuu jumped slightly before taking a few steps back. She couldn't understand what he found so…so…_amusing _about what she just said. It sounded like a fairly logical request to her…

"S-Stop laughing!" She stuttered, suddenly flustered.

"Right…Right…" Mugen breathed, calming down. "Whew. You are a funny kid."

"I'm not a kid!" She retorted. "Anyways, what's so funny?! I just asked…" Mugen held a hand up to stop her before he could relapse into another fit of laughter.

"Kid, let me tell you something that you oughta know. People—especially kids like you—just don't go waltz up to the boss's door and expect some friendly, negotiating chat. Hell, with that attitude of yours, coming from a kid such as yourself…He'd kill you on the spot." Fuu chose to glare at him at this point, furthering Mugen to quickly provide more. "Hey, in a way, I'm doing you a favor! I'm pretty much protecting you! Right? Right?" He asked unsteadily as Fuu's fists clenched and unclenched.

Anger taking over her, she did the only thing she could think to do.

She sucker-punched him.

--

Several hours later, Fuu would admit to herself that was a horrible thing to do and a huge mistake. He had probably been doing what he thought was in her best interests, but still! She shook her head, returning her attention back to Mugen.

He was sprawled on the couch, clutching his cheek. A small moan escaped his lips every now and then, the pain still having concentrated intensely in that area. Fuu gave a sheepish grin while handing him a wet towel. He snatched it from her, mumbled obscenities under his breath; Fuu didn't even bother to reprimand him for that.

"I'll never fall for that flat-chested, innocent, teenage girl act again," he muttered in resolved tone. "You punch like a guy! Even for a sucker punch it wasn't too bad." Mugen mused.

Fuu sat still, unsure of what to say to that. It was like a compliment mixed in a vat full of insults. Or maybe the other way around. She shrugged her shoulders, making her way over to the stairs.

"So I guess you can just call me when you need some hel—" She paused mid-sentence when she heard a loud clanging noise followed by a stream of curses. The voice sounded quite familiar to her, and instantly she rushed over to the window.

"Shinsuke!" She yelped, staring down at his shadowed figure. Another figure was near him, one she presumed was the new man who had entered the organization—in basics, the guy Mugen hated. Speaking of Mugen…

Fuu turned to look at his upright form on the couch. She had already predicted that a scowl would be on his tired face.

"That damn kid…Son of a bitch…" He mumbled tiredly, crossing over to the door. Fuu sprinted after him causing Mugen to turn around with a stunned look. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Following you! What else?"

"I think not." He grabbed a hold of both her shoulders and steered her over to the couch before roughly pushing her down on a seat. She glared before shooting up again.

"Don't you dare leave me in here! I'm sick of not knowing what's going on around here!" Her tone held a pleading edge, one that Mugen couldn't ignore. Besides, she'd harp on him forever if he didn't let her come. Plus, it was nighttime, so it was a less likely chance that someone would spot her. Sighing, he waved his hand in a gesture for her to come along. She happily complied.

They got outside of the apartment complex before rounding the corner to where Shinsuke and Jin stood. Shinsuke had a dopey look on his face while Jin held a cool and composed look. _Cold as always_, Fuu shivered slightly from his intense stare.

"What the hell was all the noise for?" Mugen demanded. He wasn't one for greetings and small talk.

"Sorry 'bout that! Kind of tripped over this trashcan here," Shinsuke said, sweeping his arm out to point at the slightly rolling metal can. "Luckily this wasn't a mission!" He joked. Nobody laughed.

"Why is _he _here?" Mugen asked crossly. Jin only smirked at this.

"Hm? Oh. Well, you know. Kind of acting as his guide…But he seems pretty capable! Not sure why he'd need any help, but Nagatomi insists. Can't argue with that."

"I am _quite_ capable, yes. Unlike this man here." Jin said. Fuu's eyes widened, thinking that this was probably the most she'd ever heard him say all at once.

But she didn't have time to dwell on it, because Mugen had grabbed the sword he had slung over his shoulder before walking out and pointed it straight at Jin—more precisely, his heart.

"Hey!" Fuu interjected before Mugen could strike.

"Shut up! He's just a nuisance."

"Nuisance? At least I have some decency to fight like a human being. You…Fight like a caged animal." He spoke the words softly, though an underlying hint of malice could be detected. Jin then quickly withdrew one of his swords and began to speed at Mugen, with the tip of his blade targeted at his chest. Fuu's eyes were wide in shock, and she was somewhat perturbed to see Shinsuke standing idly by.

Right then and there, she decided to do what could've been possibly the stupidest, most idiotic, reckless course of action.

* * *

**AN:** So, yeah. Some twists...Maybe...Sort of? I dunno. And don't worry, Shinsuke and Jin weren't on a date strolling around Mugen's home for nothing! Hm...Looking back at it now, Jin seemed kind of bitchy too... 


	8. 3:30 in the Morning

**AN: **So here's chapter eight. I finally added in more Fuugen moments, because without them, this fic surely wouldn't have a point, would it? Well, to me it wouldn't. Sorry for errors/inconsistencies as usual.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Samurai Champloo. I don't think I'd ever be allowed to either…

**On the Edge of All Reason**

**Chapter Eight: 3:30 in the Morning**

Jin barely had time to stop as the sword's tip stopped a mere inch from Fuu's chest. Her heart was pounding erratically as Shinsuke stood to the side, mouth hanging open. Death had just stopped short of its target, but Fuu hadn't moved from her spot in front of Mugen.

She didn't know why she jumped in front of him, but she felt compelled to do so. It seemed wrong, no matter how questionable of a character Mugen was, to try and take his life over a petty confrontation, or at least wound him. Her brows creased forward, her arms spread out like an eagle in a feeble attempt to prevent Jin from coming any closer.

Jin took a step back, staring in slight awe at the scene before tucking his sword away with a small smirk.

"Next time," he said coldly, earning a glare from Mugen.

"I could beat your ass any day! Don't you dare turn your back on me!"

Jin paused while Fuu turned around to stare at an infuriated Mugen. Her jaw was slightly slack before she composed herself. "Stop it, Mugen. It's useless."

Mugen's eyes flickered to her, his lip curled into a snarl. However, he chose to ignore what she said, instead turning to face Shinsuke. "Why were you even hanging around here?"

Shinsuke, who had propped himself against the brick wall pushed himself off and faced Mugen. Fuu noticed that his eyes seemed colder, more mature having lost that childish spark. She was momentarily stunned by this, but averted her attention to the words that came out of his mouth.

"We came to drop off a message from Nagatomi. He's pissed, Mugen. You didn't show up today like you should've," Fuu blanched at this, knowing if she hadn't had punched him senseless he wouldn't be in this mess. "By the way," he turned to the direction of Fuu while still speaking to Mugen. "You've got exactly one month from tomorrow to figure out this ordeal concerning her."

Mugen grimaced as Fuu paled slightly. The two men across from them began to walk away, leaving a heavy silence. Fuu didn't even want to face Mugen at this point, feeling horrible. This Nagatomi man was obviously angry with Mugen, and it had been her fault. _I didn't know I could hit that hard though! _Her mind yelled, suddenly feeling very flustered.

Deciding to get this over with, she turned to look at Mugen. "Look, I'm sorry! This is all my fault…I shouldn't have punched you. But…But I just got so mad!" It was a dumb excuse, but it was all she had to back up her actions. Mugen stood there, his breathing slowly beginning to even out. The trepidation was building up in Fuu's stomach, and she felt like hurling everything out of her body until she couldn't function anymore.

Yet, Mugen seemed to take no notion of her apology, or even her existence. He merely turned around and began to walk back to the entrance of the apartment building, leaving Fuu to stand there in utter shock. She half expected him to yell a string of curse words or rant and rave about how stupid she was.

"Mugen," she whispered quietly before jogging to catch up with him. She barely sidled through the door before it shut quietly in the night. Not a word was spoken between them, even as they entered his apartment.

"Oh, just say something!" Fuu exclaimed after they stood, rather stupidly in Fuu's opinion, in the middle of the apartment. Butterflies were flapping their wings all over her stomach, and the horrible trepidation of the unknown was resurfacing.

Mugen suddenly turned around, catching Fuu off guard. "You want me to say something?" He asked rather languidly. Fuu could feel the hairs on the back of her neck rise as she nodded her head. "I think that what you did was about the most fucked up thing ever."

Fuu had been expecting something like, especially since it was sort of reckless in her opinion too, but to have him say it out loud was a huge blow. The image of her jumping to protect him had seemed much more heroic in her mind's eye, but apparently it was just stupid. However, her pride wouldn't stand for it; she put her hands on her hips and glared at him.

"Excuse me for trying to prevent you from dying a useless death! You know he was going for the kill!"

Mugen squared up his shoulders as he growled at her. "You don't come into something personal like that! I could've defended myself," he added bitterly.

"Really?" Fuu asked in mock curiosity. "Fine then." She said, adopting a blasé attitude. "See if I care. Get yourself killed."

"Maybe I will!"

"Good!" Fuu snarled before stomping over to the stairs, making sure each footstep was vibrating. Mugen bore holes into her back the whole time he watched her until the door slammed.

A few moments of silence passed before Mugen decided he needed to get out of here. He contemplated the idea of just walking out, but then realized it was a rather stupid thing to do. Thus, he settled for shouting.

"I'm going OUT!" Mugen hollered.

The only way he knew Fuu had gotten the message was when she deliberately opened the door and then slammed it again, just as loud as the first time.

--

"What the hell was your problem?" Shinsuke rounded on him the minute they got back home.

Jin merely sent him a heated glare before dropping his swords on the sofa. His mood was suddenly darkened, and the only passion he had at the moment was to rip out the throat of Mugen. Normally he didn't lose his composure, but that guy was seemingly created for the sole purpose of creating annoyance.

He could feel Shinsuke's eyes trained on every movement he made, almost as if they were daring him to do something reckless.

"You're just lucky that Mugen is the type of guy who doesn't care what side you're on. Otherwise he would've probably reported you to Nagatomi. I know for a fact that's what others would do."

Jin gave a soft, derisive laugh. "Lucky, am I?"

Shinsuke grimaced, though he didn't bother to add on the subject.

--

The sky was dark, the moon having been hidden by the ominous clouds. Barely any stars lit the way, and the fact that most of the streetlamps in this part of town were broken didn't help. Mugen stared at the ground, watching intently the cracks on the sidewalk. They looked like the branches of a tree during winter, long and thing; claw-like.

He was instantly reminded of how much he wanted to drive his sword through Jin's heart. At that idea, he suddenly realized his sword wasn't with him. A stream of curses escaped his lips as he realized how vulnerable he was. All he could do at this point was hope that no one would approach him. Besides, he had his fists.

As he strode across the sidewalk, he casually lit a cigarette, keeping an eye out for danger. He could've sworn he saw a shadow dart somewhere around a building. It was probably some run-of-the-mill drug-induced idiot. By the time he dropped his cigarette to the ground, he realized he was pretty far from home. An hour's worth maybe on foot. He let out a groan, realizing he'd have to turn around now if he wanted to be home at a semi-decent hour.

Mugen had only begun to walk home when a small group of men stopped him. He stopped and arched a brow, giving them a rather skeptical and careless look. They were only thugs to him. He made a move to pass by them, when one man mimicked his actions and shoved him back. Mugen twitched at this, though he moved a few steps back to take a better look.

There were four men, all who looked rather haggard. The one who had pushed him had a black beard that seemed to have turned slightly grey. His eyes looked beady and malicious, filled with the desire to kill. The second one was bald, and he had several tattoos running up and down his arms, some of them containing strange symbols. Another one had greasy, mousy looking hair with bulging eyes. Mugen directed his glance to the fourth one.

He had sleek, black hair though it seemed to have been in the process of becoming dusty and sick-like while a dark green skull cap perched atop his head. His nose was sharp and long, but what got his attention was the smug look on his lips. He didn't like it one bit, and he felt compelled to punch him.

"Get out of the way, morons."

The black-bearded man gave a shocked look before his face contorted into one of rage. "Don't you even act like you're better than us!" He lunged forward to punch him, but Mugen easily dodged as the man seemed to only be capable of blundering about. Mugen crouched on the ground and swung his leg at the man's awkward limbs, letting him fall with a muffled yelp.

"Idiot," mumbled Mugen.

This apparently set off the other two who charged at him. The tattooed man made aim at his stomach, but Mugen sent him off course with a kick to his side. This action seemed to have caused some sort of chain reaction because the tattooed man had been rammed into the rather dense-looking one. They fell into a heap, wheezing in pain.

The fourth man barely seemed fazed. Mugen grinned at him, inviting him to step up and fight. "Come on. See if you can last a bit longer," he bantered.

The man smiled. "With pleasure."

This one, despite how lanky and small he seemed, was putting up a lengthy and rather decent fight. He wouldn't back down, no matter how many times Mugen seemed to punch and kick him. He even got in some of his own attacks.

After what felt like hours, they both backed away from each other, breathing hard.

"Just…Who the hell…Are you guys?" Mugen asked between breaths.

"Don't play that innocent card with me!" He snapped back, glaring daggers.

Mugen gave him a confused look, wiping the sweat off his forehead. "Better cough it up dude, because I have no idea what the hell you're talkin' about."

"You bastard!" The man suddenly yelled, charging at him with newfound energy. Mugen was taken aback by this, and when the man jumped away from him, he suddenly felt a searing pain in his stomach. He slowly looked down, dreading what he would see. His shirt had a small slash running through it, and blood was beginning to seep out of the gash on his stomach. "That's what you get for murdering part of gang! That's what you get!" The man screamed in hysterics. Mugen slowly looked back up at the man and noticed a small knife held tightly in his hand, with his blood dripping off of it.

Anger became clear on Mugen's face when he realized the man had been concealing a weapon this whole time. "I kill a lot of people y'know…I can't recall every single person!" He snapped.

"All the more reason you deserve to die, you flea-bitten mutt!" He screeched. Without warning, he began to speed towards Mugen again, the knife still in his grasp. "I know it was you! I saw you killing Takeshi!"

Mugen quickly dodged the man, and ran behind him. The man slipped slightly, his grip on the knife slackening. Mugen made a move to take it, but the man saw this. They scuffled for a bit, each trying to gain possession of the knife.

Mugen gasped with pain as he felt the knife cutting into his arm, and moments later, his chest. Blood was beginning to pour out of his wounds like waterfalls, and he felt the wound on his stomach stretching with agony. Suddenly, the man screamed in a high-pitched, maddening way, falling back from Mugen. Mugen barely struggled to stand up and watch as he saw the knife had gotten stabbed all the way through into the man's stomach. It dangled slightly as the man fell on his knees before falling face-first into the pavement, allowing the knife's tip to slightly stick out from his back.

Mugen watched with a disgusted look before his eyesight became bleary, and he crumpled into a heap on the ground.

--

The hours were starting to tick by, and Fuu found herself unconsciously worrying for Mugen. She had been sitting on her bed, glad to have the whole apartment to herself for however brief that moment could be. However, when he hadn't been showing up a few hours later, she began to feel a sense of dread. This sort of dread was almost as bad as the one she felt when she realized she only had a month left to find this money her father had hidden, lest she wished to suffer.

"Where is he?" She murmured to herself, cupping her chin in her hand as she sat hunched over the edge of the bed. "Normally he doesn't take this long."

She got up and went downstairs, allowing her more space to pace around aimlessly. The worst part was, she thought, was that there was no way of making contact—rather, she had to wait for it. Even if there had been a phone present, she didn't know any numbers.

Glancing over to the clock, she saw that it read 3:30 in the morning. Her heart took a leap, though maybe he was just passed out at a bar somewhere. She desperately clung to this theory, though she didn't know why. In all honesty, she might even have a chance at escaping if that were the case. Yet, she felt like she couldn't. Her mind was telling her to start picking the lock again like she had last time.

With that thought firmly planted in her head, she made her way to the kitchen and grabbed a knife. Panic was rising with every step she took, and she feared for the worst.

Sleep was itching to claim her as she limply struggled with the lock, but her attempts felt fruitless. However, she couldn't give up. She had to escape this time. But it wouldn't be exactly like the last…Because unlike the last, she wasn't escaping to get away from him, she was escaping to get closer.

Eons seemed to pass by before the click of the lock sounded. Fuu didn't bother to mentally congratulate herself. She was about to step outside when she remembered she needed to disguise herself, regardless of the time it was. She went upstairs and grabbed some sunglasses she had bought, courtesy of Mugen, and opened the drawers to reveal one of his old, ragged hoodies.

Checking herself rather briefly in the mirror, she decided it was good enough. Taking a deep breath, she ventured out of the apartment and into the dim hallway. She figured it'd be best to take the same escape route she had last time in hopes that it was the more abandoned route. Fuu crossed the hallway and after a few moments pushed the window up. The cool air stung her cheeks a little, but she paid it no mind as she carefully and quietly walked down the fire escape.

_God, I feel like a criminal! _She huffed, looking both ways before turning to the right and rounding the corner. She had barely passed the apartment complex when she ran into someone.

Grasping her head with a small moan, she looked up to see a slightly out of breath Shinsuke. "Shinsuke?"

"It's urgent, Fuu!" He wasted no time in grabbing a hold of her wrist and dragging her along with him.

"Where are we going?!" Fuu shouted, feeling suddenly very confused and helpless. But she knew this was about Mugen; that same fear clutched at her again, and suddenly all the air seemed to vanish.

"Mugen got in a fight," Shinsuke said while dragging Fuu to that familiar shopping district.

Fuu slightly paused, causing Shinsuke to jerk her. She yelped softly at the sudden movement before regaining her senses and keeping pace with him. "But he always gets in fights! What's so different about this one?"

"It was pretty bad. Lots of blood loss."

The color from Fuu's face drained, and she felt somewhat guilty for acting mean to him earlier that day. But she couldn't help but feel that she had a right to feel that way. Fuu shook her head, knowing that this was the worst time to be thinking such things.

"So he's in a hospital?"

"Yeah, it's pretty close by. Just a few more blocks!"

They ran the whole way, and by the time they reached the entrance to the hospital, Fuu felt like she'd need to be admitted to it too. The nurse at the registration desk looked up after just putting a phone back on its receiver.

"And you are here for?" She asked, a tired edge in her voice.

"Tasuki Fushikawa," stated Shinsuke promptly. Fuu recognized this as his pseudonym.

"And how are you two related to the patient?"

Fuu piped up. "I'm his sister, Kairi Fushikawa and this is my boyfriend, Shun Tanake."

The nurse raised a brow, studying the pair before her before waving her hand in dismissal.

Fuu smiled gratefully after being given the room number 304. She walked briskly down the corridor, Shinsuke trailing behind her. "So…Boyfriend am I?" He grinned.

Fuu looked at him with a raised brow. "Don't dwell on it." It sounded harsh, but she could tell her cheeks were flushed, prompting Shinsuke to chuckle.

When they reached room 304, she tentatively rested her hand on the doorknob before pushing it open. She and Shinsuke milled in, watching Mugen's chest rise steadily up and down. He seemed to be alive, but the fact that his heartbeats seemed so labored…Fuu slowly walked over to him, sitting down in the chair by the bedside.

His head was covered in a bandage, as was the upper half of his arm and his stomach. Faint traces of red could be seen behind the white tape, and she figured they must've been deep wounds.

"Who did this to him?" Fuu whispered, looking up at Shinsuke.

He merely shrugged. "Thugs most likely."

Fuu nodded her head, not containing enough energy to do anything else. She turned her head back to Mugen, and saw that he was stirring. Her eyes widened with excitement, however that soon faded when he grimaced and got into a sitting up position.

"Oh god. I must be in hell," was the first thing he said after catching sight of Shinsuke who grinned a little, waving. Mugen then turned to look at Fuu, who was sitting rather idly on the chair beside his bed. He noticed that she was wearing one of his old hoodies, with some sunglasses resting in her lap. Her hair looked windblown, as if she had just gotten done running the marathon. "Why are you even here?"

Fuu looked up, momentarily surprised. "Wh-what?"

"Why are you here?" He repeated, though a bit slower.

"Well, I…" She paused, wondering she should say what's on her mind. Shrugging, she proceeded. "I was worried, y'know. You weren't showing up. But I convinced myself it was you getting drunk off your ass in some bar." She concluded, trying to put on an air of indifference.

"I do more than drink. Give some credit, bitch."

"Excuse me?! Yeah, let me list _all _the things you do; eat, sleep, drink, maybe the occasional kill!" Her voice becoming high-pitched. Mugen could feel an immense headache coming through. Shinsuke quickly went over to Fuu's side.

"Calm down, Fuu. Look at him…I don't think now's the best time to start your bickering."

"Easy for you to say!" Fuu glared, trying to get the last say in. "I don't even see _why _I worry about this idiot!" She turned her glare to Mugen. "And if I could, I would slap you upside the head! You're just lucky those bandages are there…" She hissed before rising to her feet and exiting the room.

Silence passed through the room like a thick fog as Shinsuke stood there, unsure of who to stay with. Fuu had proven she could be slightly reckless, but he highly doubted she'd do anything at this point. She probably headed down to the lobby to cool off, so he chose to take the now vacant seat.

Mugen lied back down, letting the muscles in his back loosen. "So." He said, staring at the ceiling, a kind of smug look on his face. "She worries about me, huh?"

* * *

**AN: **Phwee! I think I'm moving Fuu and Mugen too fast though…Oh well. I'm not too concerned. All they've been doing anyways is bickering like the old, married couple they are. :3 


	9. Home

**AN: **I'm so happy with all the positive comments I've been receiving. And I'm equally happy with the fact that everyone thinks the pace for Mugen/Fuu is going just fine. What a relief!

**Disclaimer: **I think pigs will fly before I'm ever even considered to own Samurai Champloo…So in other words, I don't own it.

**On the Edge of All Reason**

**Chapter Eight: Home**

Fuu marched over to the elevator before jamming the button that led to the cafeteria. The whole ride down, she was tapping her foot and muttering under her breath, watching each floor light up until it made a small 'ding!' noise. She barely waited for the doors to slide open before making a beeline towards the counter. A tired looking man sighed before stationing himself to speak to her.

When Fuu approached him, she glared slightly, tapping her foot impatiently. The man made no move to get her any food, and she could only glare more. "Well?!" She snapped.

The man looked taken aback, before quickly explaining to her, "Ma'am, I can't really give you anything until you request something you'd like…"

Fuu's eyes narrowed before she looked over at the glass window displaying what little food there was. "I know that!" She hissed, bending over to look at the food. "I guess…I guess I'll have that slice of cherry pie." The man quickly obliged, a little frightened of her behavior. What a way to start work at six in the morning…

Fuu plopped herself down on one of the picnic-styled, white tables, stabbing her pie listlessly with her plastic fork. The pie's crust crumbled slightly, though the cherries were already oozing out. It didn't look tempting at all to her, but she just needed some way to divert her attention. She was just so angry with Mugen! He acted as if it was no big deal that he landed himself a concussion, suffered some blood loss, and bruises.

"You know he'll be okay," Shinsuke suddenly said from behind her. Fuu jolted lightly before turning to look up at him.

"That's not what I'm worried about," she replied, her face scrunching into that of confusion. "It's just…He acted as if the fact that I was worried about him was nothing. That just sort of…hurt, you know?" She pushed her fork into the pie again. "But then again, it's Mugen. Why should I be worried?" She smiled at Shinsuke briefly.

Shinsuke rubbed a hand through his hair, hating himself for the fact that he was somewhat worried for Mugen too. By all means, he was not an ally. Only on the surface perhaps…

"Give him some time. He's probably not used to people giving a rat's ass about him."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well," Shinsuke started, "He hasn't exactly had the most glamorous, jealousy-worthy lifestyle. He grew up with most people not really concerned over him. Not even his own parents. But they didn't mean much to him anyways, least that's what I heard. And ever since, he's made it a point to only care about himself." Shinsuke ended. He certainly hadn't found out that information straight of Mugen's mouth though. Various sources had been his only evidence.

Fuu stayed silent, soaking in the newfound information. She didn't find it too hard to visualize him getting by life with only himself as support. It was evident in his character now. But that didn't shake off her anger.

"In any case, he should be glad I worried about him."

Shinsuke raised a brow. "Were you…Really that worried about him?"

"Of course," Fuu responded. "I think it's natural to worry. Besides, he hasn't been entirely bad to me. I still disapprove of everything he stands for," she paused. "But that doesn't really matter in the long run, does it? It doesn't change my position."

Shinsuke smiled. "Insightful."

"It's only the truth." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Truth, huh…" He murmured to himself. _When would be the right time to tell her the truth about me and who I really am?_

Fuu suddenly rose to her feet and headed over to the elevator. "I think I'll be paying that jackass a visit."

"Right then." Shinsuke could tell she wanted some privacy, though he was wary on leaving those two alone more often than needed. It wasn't the safest decision, but he couldn't do anything about it, lest he wanted to attract suspicion. He sighed and sat down, feeling an immense pressure on his head.

Meanwhile, Fuu took small, unsure steps towards room 304. Her resolve had shaken, and she wasn't quite sure she wanted to see him anymore. Things felt strange, stiff, and awkward between them. But then again, it was Mugen—he wasn't one to pick up on subtleties was he? She highly doubted that, though he had proven to at least show some intellect.

Sucking in a deep breath of air, she pushed open the door and saw Mugen watching the small television that hung from the ceiling. His eyes seemed glazed over in boredom, and Fuu couldn't help but roll his eyes. His brain was probably mush by now after all those endless hours of watching television in general.

When she sat down on the chair next to him, she noticed it was some sort of game show. She had the sneaking suspicion that he was only paying attention to the models…

"Ahem." She coughed lightly. Mugen didn't even glance in her direction.

She feigned another cough. No response.

_Are you kidding me?_

"Listen up, jackass!" She screeched. Mugen jumped slightly before turning his head to look at Fuu.

"Geez, what the hell…" He muttered.

"Nice to see you're awake," she snapped, taking the remote and turning off the television so he wouldn't be distracted. But as long stretches of silence fell upon them, she wished she hadn't. It provided some sort of background noise and kept the room alive; right now, it felt like an empty pit.

"So…How are you wounds?"

"Well…Sometimes this concussion of mine," he pointed to the white bandages on his head, "really starts to hurt when someone," he gestured to her, "starts talking." He smiled smugly while clasping his hands.

"Shut up," she seethed. The room became silent again before Fuu finally decided to move into another topic. "Won't people recognize you here?" She lowered her voice to a whisper, as if the walls had ears.

Mugen blinked for a few seconds before laughing. "Hell no. I'm pretty covered." His eyes narrowed for a moment. "Are you saying that I do a crappy job?"

Fuu rolled her eyes. "Just want to play it safe."

Mugen nodded, not really caring.

Fuu looked down at her lap. "So…What happened? How did you get yourself in this mess?"

"Oh you know. Random street thugs who had an agenda against me. The usual. Nothing I couldn't handle of course." He smirked, as if remembering a very fond memory, such as winning a trophy.

"I hate how you act like it's nothing big. You could've been killed! I saw your sword at home in the corner. You were so stupid to leave it there!"

"So it's home now?" He inquired. He just loved pissing her off.

"Well…what…oh god," she blanched, realizing what she had just called Mugen's house. But was it truly like home? Perhaps the only thing she liked about it was that other human life—no matter how shady they may be—surrounded her, rather than leaving her empty in an apartment every day. What she was trying to convey was simply that Mugen's home had warmth. Her own home was cold and dank—simply unfeeling.

These days, she found herself not even missing her own home so much anymore. But that desperate urge to return back to familiarity…To fight just because she felt like she had to…It consumed her. No matter how much how she despised her old home, she didn't care. This current house she was in housed a killer. It was bad, a sign of everything she stood against.

"No. No it's not." She replied primly.

"Sure, whatever," he chuckled.

"Why do you always have to pick up on such weird things?!" She shouted suddenly, unable to suppress her thoughts.

"It's a habit," Mugen merely shrugged his shoulders (to the best of his abilities…his whole body ached)

Fuu made a 'hmph' sound while crossing her arms. She considered this conversation over on her part. But for some reason, she couldn't get out of her chair and leave. It would seem cold and uncaring…Not that she'd care too much if Mugen's feelings got hurt, but either way.

"Yep, well…Any ideas on where the money could be? I heard it's a hefty sum…" He stroked his chin lightly, eyes clouded over at the prospect of finding such a large amount in one place.

"No," her eyes narrowed, though her heart skipped a beat when she remembered a recent dream about a memory of them boarding a train. Her mother had held her hand as they got on, explaining to Fuu about where they were going and how much she'd love it. Her father had reached into the pocket of his jacket and gave an old photograph to a young Fuu. It displayed a nice, dojo-looking house with a river off into the distance. It looked peaceful and the perfect place to play for Fuu.

The dream had ended there abruptly when she looked up to her father to comment on the photo. That place felt so familiar and inviting…It was on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't find the right name. In any case, she didn't think it was very valuable information.

"I expect we're in deep trouble then, huh? I'll be out of here tomorrow, but that's another day wasted on your month. If you don't figure out something soon, then we're screwed." He said it with such an air of calmness that Fuu couldn't help to think that they were talking about something as simple as the weather.

"Impending doom, huh?" She asked wryly.

"Something to that effect."

Fuu leaned back in her seat, and her eyes were becoming unfocused and her head felt dizzy. A pounding feeling could be felt on her brain as she tried to stifle a yawn. Sleep hadn't been coming to her easily, and she suspected it wouldn't tonight. In fact, she assumed that sleep wouldn't be a part of her schedule during her remaining month with Mugen. She felt like she was in constant peril.

Her eyes snapped back to Mugen when she heard him shifting in his spot on the bed. Instinctively, her nurturing side came out as she fluffed his pillow lightly, worry in evident in her eyes. She hated seeing people in pain or trouble (unless they deserved it). Mugen gave her an amused look before grunting softly. She leaned back in her chair, feeling that sudden awkwardness taking over.

And suddenly, Mugen outstretched his left hand, and Fuu let her instincts take over by placing her hand in his. It felt right to do so. A musing expression fell upon her face as she noticed how rough and big they looked. Yet, she knew they were capable of power, capable of killing. But right now, in this state, they seemed sincere and warm. She squeezed it lightly, trying to give him a reassuring smile.

His eyes closed as his chest fell into the rhythm of slumber.

--

"I just don't like this," Shinsuke said, pacing the room as Jin sat on his bed. "It wasn't even supposed to happen like this!"

Jin gave a bemused look while rubbing his stiff neck. "But it did. We'll just have to find a way around this. Besides, what's the girl's feelings matter in the grand scheme of things? She'll realize he was an enemy the whole way through."

"Even so," muttered Shinsuke. "I get the feeling she'll feel betrayed by us for, you know, not telling the truth sooner. About us being on the police. And don't you think she'll be angry with us for not getting her out sooner?"

Jin gave a derisive laugh. "But if she's apparently feeling something for the moron, I don't think she'll mind about the timing."

Shinsuke gave him a sour look. "Stop being so cold."

"Stop being so lovesick. The only reason you're worrying about this is because you're letting yourself fall in love with her. That's not our job. Our job is to get her out of there safely," he countered in a reprimanding tone.

"I guess…"

Jin nodded quietly, staring at the wall in front of him.

--

Fuu heaved a little before shoving the key into the keyhole and unlocking the door to the apartment. Mugen's arm was draped across her shoulder as he forced himself to take steps. Fuu tossed the keys on the coffee table as they made their way over to the couch. Mugen dropped with an 'oof' sound on the couch. Fuu gave a reproachful look at his cast-covered leg and foot.

"I can't believe you pulled that stunt."

Mugen shrugged tiredly. "I hated that place. It was awful. Try being stuck in a bed with all these weirdos touching you and then speaking in this crap language."

"They were examining you, idiot. Besides, you seem to glue yourself to the couch…I was surprised you didn't take this trip to the hospital as some sort of vacation," she said amusedly.

Mugen scowled as Fuu moved his foot gently to give her room on the couch. "I guess it's my job to make sure you don't do anything stupid."

Mugen gave a noncommittal 'hn'. Fuu merely smiled as if she hadn't heard him and reached for his bandaged arm. "They said to change it every five hours to avoid infection. All of them, I mean. That's going to be a lot of work," she murmured, now talking to herself. "Geez, you really had to go and get yourself injured that day, huh?"

"I try." Heavy sarcasm dripped on each word.

"Don't be a baby," she chided, grinning at him. He smiled back.

Things suddenly felt strangely fine, and he found out that he didn't really want to make her angry or annoyed anymore. Or at least, not intensely annoyed. But still…It was odd how at ease she felt, and likewise with him. It was as if they had been like this forever. He gave a cynical snort, wondering why he even bothered. Things would go back to the way they were once he was healed.

A grin suddenly crept on to his face as he wondered what would happen if he kept injuring himself…

--

There was a knock on the door, and Jin wasn't quite keen on answering it. Shinsuke had some "errands" to do, leaving Jin by himself. He scrutinized the door, as if he could see whoever was behind it. When the knocking came again, this time more rapidly than the last, Jin realized he might as well open it. With a few long strides, he reached the door and pulled it open.

Yatsuha stood there, arms folded across her chest as she glared at him. "I was waiting forever," she spat.

She pushed him aside as she strode into the apartment, looking it over with distaste. "And Shinsuke calls this 'decent'…" She spun on her heel to face Jin who still stood by the door. "I'm sure you heard Mugen just got out of the hospital?"

Jin nodded. "Something to that effect."

"Then I'm sure you'll know that this is hindering him in his job, that and the fact that he has a little girl to watch over." She paused, as if waiting for him to say something before continuing. "Meaning, Nagatomi wants you to take up a few assignments."

Jin's eyes widened slightly before he quickly pushed his glasses higher on the bridge of his nose. "Oh really?" 

"Yes, really. Consider it an honor."

"Honor?" Jin laughed quietly. "Yes, I'm sure it is."

Yatsuha faltered. Her eyes then narrowed. "Look, I may not know you too well, but don't think I'm not onto you for one second. You're far too suspicious…The only reason Nagatomi is keeping you around is because you've proven you're capable of killing. Except," she tapped her chin with a long, slender finger. "I guess that goes against your _code_." She smirked at him.

"What are you playing at?"

"I'm just saying…You being a cop and all sure doesn't seem to allow you the position to kill for no reason…As they would put it." She muttered darkly.

"If I'm as good as Nagatomi thinks, I could slit your throat here and now, and evade all suspicions." He replied tersely.

Yatsuha laughed, making her way over to Jin.

"Don't even bother. My death is useless, and you know it." She hissed.

Suddenly, she side-stepped him and walked out the door, not taking another glance back. Jin calmly made his way over to the door and shut it quietly. He could feel his head throbbing. Yatsuha knew it all, and furthermore, she could threaten them whenever necessary. He couldn't even begin to fathom how she knew, but she must've. There was a reason she was the resources officer in the organization, wasn't there?

His thoughts kept drifting to when she claimed her death was useless. But really…That couldn't be true. She had all the information on him. Getting rid of her would mean he could get rid of their main source of information. However, his real job couldn't allow that. One way or another though, he'd have to keep an eye on her without looking too suspicious. Already he felt like his cover was on the verge of being torn into pieces.

Time was against him, and he could feel it slowly falling out of his grasp.

--

"Sir, I've informed Jin of your message," Yatsuha said on her cell phone, her eyes darting around in case of any eavesdroppers.

"Good, good," Nagatomi replied, absentmindedly clicking his pen. "Any other news I should be informed of."

Yatsuha paused for the briefest of moments before saying "No, that's all."

She closed her cell phone. She'd keep his secret a little longer. And when the time was right, she'd expose those two and leave them in the hands of the organization. They'd be killed within the same hour of being found out, that much she was sure of.

**AN: **Yup. I'd say something intelligible here, but I can't. So just share your thoughts like always:3


	10. Lights Out

**AN: **Sorry it took so long, but here it is! Chapter Nine! I'm not sure if you'll like this chapter though…Sort of…Bad, in a way. I'll just let you read and find out for yourself! Sorry for errors/inconsistencies as usual. And of course, a MAJOR THANK YOU to everyone who reads! It means a lot!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Samurai Champloo.

**On the Edge of All Reason**

**Chapter Nine: Lights Out**

Yatsuha flipped open her phone, pondering over whether or not she should go through with her plan. It wasn't a matter of her having second thoughts; rather it was all about the timing. She hesitated for a mere second before punching away the numbers on her phone. Nagatomi picked up, and Yatsuha smiled into the phone, though she knew he had no way of seeing it.

"Mr. Nagatomi, sir. I have some information regarding Shinsuke…"

She talked for a few more minutes with the boss before grinning as she shut the phone. As expected, Nagatomi hadn't been thrilled to find out Shinsuke had been one of the spies infiltrating the organization, but he was happy to have been told—an extra boost for Yatsuha's position.

As Yatsuha tucked her phone away in her purse, her thoughts trailed back to Jin. A small frown stained her rather pretty face as she thought back to their meeting. This whole thing she was doing regarding Shinsuke was to serve as a warning to Jin. The only way his attention would be grasped was at the expense of another person. And Shinsuke was perfect.

She smirked lightly before continuing on her way.

--

"You're fine!" Fuu snapped before throwing a pillow at Mugen playfully. "Just because you still have that cast on your leg doesn't mean you're permanently crippled."

"Lucky for you," he muttered darkly. Fuu simply rolled her eyes.

"Look, it's late, and I just got your bandages changed. I'm going to go sleep for a little, okay?" Mugen nodded his head absently while dragging himself over to the kitchen. Fuu sighed heavily before going back down the stairs and past Mugen into the kitchen. "What do you want?"

"Beer."

Fuu gave a small frown. "Beer? You shouldn't have beer while your leg is like that…You'll get drunk and do something stupid. Like break your whole body for instance."

"Okay _mom_. Now hand me one of my precious babies." He extended his hand out for a beer bottle before Fuu sighed and opened the refrigerator to retrieve a bottle. A smile suddenly reached her face as a sinister idea came into her head.

"You want this?" She asked innocently, holding one of the ice-cold beers in her hand by the neck of the bottle. She dangled it lightly for added effect. Mugen nodded his head eagerly while hobbling over to take it. "Too bad." She replied monotonously as she popped it open and poured it outside the window above the sink.

Mugen's jaw dropped in astonishment before it quickly turned into anger. "What the hell, bitch?! I pay money for that!"

"Well maybe you shouldn't," she countered coolly. "You already waste money on cigarettes. Don't add to the list."

Mugen opened his mouth to protest but stopped shortly when he peered inside the fridge to find that there were no more beer bottles. Fuu leaned in to look as well, smiling lightly. "Would ya look at that? Last one too…"

Mugen could've sworn she had planned this from the beginning. However, Fuu merely shoved him aside before he could do anything as she grabbed the pitcher of water. "Water is so much better for you." She dug through the cabinets and produced a cup, filling it with water. She handed it to Mugen who, grudgingly, took it.

"Now, if I remember correctly, I was on my way upstairs. I'm going to take a bath and then sleep. So don't even try to bother me," She added before making her way up the stairs. Mugen merely grumbled before hobbling over to the couch.

Fuu smiled lightly to herself before walking into the bathroom and shutting (and locking) the door. She turned on the water, smiling as the hot water poured into the tub. A nice, relaxing bath would surely soothe some of her nerves, if not all. Once she removed her clothing and the water was filled, she stepped in carefully before completely submerging herself.

Fuu's eyes shut in a few moments, allowing herself to relax. Soon enough, her eyes had completely shut her out from the world, and her mind began to wander of its own accord.

_The tall grass waved with the wind as Fuu ran up the pathway to the small dojo building, her parents not too far behind. They had gotten off the train and eventually came here. It was a lovely place in the middle of country-like area. Flowers were plenty under the bright sun, and she could make out a small stream running nearby._

"_I love it!" She exclaimed as her parents approached her. Her mother smiled peacefully as her father laughed softly. "It's perfect. Everyone one will be so jealous!" She exclaimed, thinking of her friends back in Tokyo. It was summer vacation._

"_Now remember, you don't need to brag." Her mother chided. _

_Fuu rolled her eyes before entering the dojo-style home, taking in every little feature. It looked simple, yet beautiful, and that's what counted. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, before opening them once more, letting the air back out. _

"_Nagasaki…"_

"Nagasaki…" Fuu mumbled before her eyes fluttered open. She jolted before realizing she was still in the tub, filled with water. Her skin was all prune-like much to her annoyance, but she simply scrubbed her skin before draining the water and stepping out. She grabbed a towel hanging on a rack nearby, wrapping it securely around her slight frame. Fuu slipped out quietly, darting into the room right across. She pulled on some old clothes before free-falling into the bed.

Her dream…_Nagasaki…_

"That's it!" She shrieked, sitting up. "Nagasaki! That's where it is, I know it!" She began talking quickly to herself, excited at the idea of finally finding the secret location of the money. That's the only place he could've hidden the money…It was their family's vacation spot, and they were the only ones who ever went there.

_I've gotta tell Mugen! _She jumped off the bed hurriedly, dashing down the stairs so quickly she almost tripped forward. Rushing over to Mugen who was peaking through his cast his leg, he looked up, slightly alarmed.

"What? Is there a spider? You girls always shriek about that stuff…"

"No, no," she waved her hand in a dismissing notion. "I figured it out, I figured out where the money is, it's in—"

However, she was quickly cut off to the sound of a yell.

--

His cell phone began to ring as Shinsuke dug around in his pockets to retrieve. Checking the caller ID, he saw it was Yatsuha.

"Hey there," he greeted cheerily.

"Don't bother talking. Nagatomi needs you to deliver the package you got to Mugen at around 1:30 tonight."

"Why so late? I can drop by there anytime and just give it…" He scratched the back of his head, wondering where this was going.

"Nagatomi says it's an important package, and the fewer witnesses, the better. Anyone could find the package sitting behind his door. He's usually too drunk to figure out someone's knocking anyways," she muttered. "Anyways, you're supposed to give it to him _tonight_ at 1:30. Don't you dare forget!" She hissed into the phone, hanging up immediately.

Shinsuke stood there silently, before closing his phone and setting it on the table, next to the package he had received earlier today. It was a small-sized box, taped shut tightly. He had been wondering what was in it, and it seemed awfully light, but other than that, nothing. Deciding it wasn't his business, he had left the box to sit there. And that's when Yatsuha had called.

He wished the package could've just been delivered to Mugen directly, but of course, Yatsuha had made a point when she said he'd be too lazy to get it. Plus, his job was basically being a messenger. Shrugging it off, he checked the clock to see that it was 11:30 already.

"Damn it all," he muttered tiredly.

--

1:30 had rolled around quickly, and Shinsuke found himself walking through the alley by Mugen's apartment complex. He could see the window to his apartment, the lights flooding it in a soft glow. It was the only light still on. He was probably still up then. He made his way over to the rusty fire escape, not wanting to deal with the landlord inside at the front entrance.

He cradled the box over to his other arm when suddenly he heard a clinging noise. Turning his head behind him, he saw a masked figure rushing towards him, a sword steadily coming near his body. He paled and tried to dodge, but failed. The sword pierced the right side of his chest, and he yelped with pain as he crashed down to the hard ground of the alley.

Blood sputtered everywhere as the masked figure pulled out his sword. Shinsuke coughed violently, gingerly touching the wound in his chest. Blood glittered in the pale moonlight on his fingertips, and he had the urge to vomit everywhere. He saw another figure approach, though his eyesight was becoming bleary.

The soft clicking of heels made their way over to him, before stopping at one side of his head.

"A life wasted," he heard a soft female voice say.

_Yatsuha…?_

"It's a shame that it had to end up like this. You had so much potential, that I'm sure of. In fact, you could've been a great use somewhere along the line. But you and that damn career of yours, huh? A police cop undercover? Who'd have thought?"

"All…a trick," he mumbled uselessly.

"Mhm. I really hated to do it. But you were a threat. We couldn't have that, could we?" She stepped away before turning to the man with the sword behind them. "Finish him off, will you?"

The masked man nodded before stepping over to Shinsuke. Shinsuke looked up, feeling sick to his stomach—pain mingled with fear. The sword was held high above his chest for what felt like minutes. In reality, it was over in a few seconds. His yell came out loud and painful, filling the night air. Blood gushed out of his mouth which began to choke him as it gurgled, caught between his throat and mouth.

In that second, his head fell to the side, the blood spilling out into tiny streams on the gravelly road.

--

Fuu pushed open the window, alarmed at the noise. She hadn't been able to finish her sentence which contained the answer to where the money was. Looking down, she saw a figure sprawled out on the ground below them, a liquid type thing pooling around its body. Squinting closer, she realized it was blood. A gasp escaped her lips, and she rushed over to Mugen.

"Look! Out the window! Now!" She grabbed his arm and pulled him over to the window, despite the pain in his leg. Grimacing, he ducked his head out the window with wide eyes at the figure.

"Oh shit…"

He grabbed Fuu by the hand and led her (rather slowly) out the apartment, to the window where the fire escape sat. She knew the routine quite well and scrambled down, Mugen close behind.

Upon reaching the figure, she wished she never did. Getting a closer look at the body, she could only stand there frozen with shock. Salty tears made their way down her cheeks, dropping into the pool of blood near her feet, creating a ripple-like effect.

"Oh damn," Mugen whispered.

Fuu knelt beside his dead body, not caring for the blood that seeped into the fabric of her clothes. His eyes were glassy and half-lidded, giving him the look that he was in some sort of dream. The blood had dried to his chin in cracking streams while blood pooled in the middle of his chest, gleaming under the moonlight. It was an absolutely disgusting, depressing sight.

"Who would've done this…?" Fuu whispered. "Who? It doesn't…make sense," she choked.

Mugen stood a few feet away, not sure of what to make of this. It was so random, so uncalled for. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a small box lying uncared for on the ground. He limped over to it, wondering what could've been in it. Whatever it was, it was obviously meant for him, since Shinsuke was presumably in possession of it before his death. He dug into his pockets and pulled out his keys which he used to cut open the sealing on the box. Peering inside, he realized nothing was in there. Not even a scrap of paper.

"Bait," he muttered.

Fuu paid him no mind, holding onto Shinsuke's hand. It felt cold and limp—not at all like his usually warm and soft hands. Letting out a shaky breath, she got up to her feet and looked over at Mugen. "We have to call the cops." Mugen nodded pulling out his cell phone. Fuu stood idly by, turning her head every few seconds to gaze at Shinsuke.

In the short time that she had known him, she had grown to like him a lot. Perhaps almost in a schoolgirl crush sort of way. But regardless of that, she knew him, and she cared for him enough to be considered a friend.

As she turned her attention back to Mugen, who just got done talking to the police, her eyes traveled to the box in his hands. "What's in that?"

He looked startled for a moment before looking down at the box. "Nothing. There was nothing in it. Obviously a bait of some sort." Fuu simply nodded. Figures. Someone was trying to lure him out and kill—which they unfortunately succeeded in.

"Do you think they'll find out who did it?"

Mugen shrugged. He had a good idea of who did it, but kept his mouth shut. "Maybe."

Fuu rolled her eyes slightly at the ambiguous reply. She was sick of all these 'maybe's, 'possibly's, and uncertainty in general. Fuu made her way over to the fire escape, slightly shuddering. "I'm going to go change." Mugen nodded, barely watching her walk up the fire escape before hobbling over to the corpse. "Nagatomi really had it out for you, buddy…" He sighed. Mugen reached over into the pockets of Shinsuke's jacket, smiling sardonically at his simple, black, leather wallet. Flipping it open, he found everything he needed to know.

"A cop…How clever."

Meanwhile, Fuu hurriedly shrugged off her clothes, wanting to get away from the blood. Her hands were smeared with red. It seemed that everywhere she looked, red was blinding her eyesight, and she just wanted to scream. It was far worse than the murder she saw committed by Mugen. This time, it was someone she knew personally. Maybe not as well as others, but at least she _knew_.

She trotted over to the sink in the bathroom and turned on the faucet to extremely hot water. It scalded her skin as she scrubbed soap into it, desperately trying to get rid of the warm liquidy feeling left by his blood on her hands.

Somehow, she had a feeling the blood would never come off.

--

The cops had gone and left, interrogating Mugen and Fuu after taking away Shinsuke's corpse. A cold, dead feeling was left inside Fuu as she sat at the table in the apartment. Mugen hadn't said a word to her ever since the cops left, and quite frankly, she preferred it that way. Words couldn't even form inside her head anyways.

Mugen set a cup of coffee in front of Fuu who barely acknowledged it. Instead, she chose to watch the steam swirl into the air and vanish, just like that. Her eyes were lowered into the pool of brown in her cup, so she didn't notice when Mugen pulled out a chair and sat down across from her.

"Stuff like this happens, y'know."

She looked up, rather surprised, not at his comment, but at the fact that he was speaking to her. It was like she had come out of a trance.

"What…What do you mean?" She fumbled the words out eventually.

"People in our organization die all the time. It's the way it goes."

"Oh…"

"Except, he wasn't really apart of our organization."

Fuu's eyes suddenly flared with such ferocity that Mugen was taken aback. "Then _why _was he killed, you bastard?!"

Mugen merely squared his shoulders and leaned back in his seat, the cup of coffee snug between his hands. "He was on the police force. A spy in other words."

"A…A spy? You mean, he wasn't your ally this whole time? Did you know?" The questions came tumbling out of her mouth, her unable to stop.

"I didn't know until the minute I saw his body. Retrogression likes to leave a little…reminder, I guess you could call it, to the police, to others in the organization…to anyone who sees really. I don't know if you saw it, but there was a small circle with an 'x' through it on his cheek. With his own blood of course."

Fuu looked disgusted. "That's wrong. Disturbing, and sick. Shinsuke was _right _to be spying on you guys, to go against you! I hope that one day your organization, "Retrogression" or whatever the hell it is, falls to the ground!" She screamed, getting out of her seat and stomping up the stairs.

Mugen didn't look perturbed at all. In fact, he had been expecting that much out of her. At first, he didn't really want to tell her, for fear of her hating him all over again. Unexpectedly, he did somewhat care of what she thought of him. However, this was something that had to be known to her. He didn't think he could let her go on thinking Shinsuke died as a villain.

Staring down into his cup filled with coffee, he gave a cynical half-smile.

* * *

**AN: **Sorry this chapter was somewhat of a downer. No happiness really. I didn't know if I wanted to kill him off so soon, but it was more on impulse if anything. I mean, I _planned _on killing Shinsuke from the start, but the timing? Not so much. I don't know where this leaves us really. I bet that's something you guys wanted to hear! Eheh…But don't worry. But I have to let you guys know that school is starting on Thursday for me, so I'm not sure when the next chapter is coming out. Sorry! But at least it's not so much of a cliff-hanger huh? 


	11. A Simple Word

**AN: **Sorry I took so long to get this one out! School has kept me fairly busy, and I was sick to boot! But now it's all good. I'd like to say that after thinking it over in my head and with the way things are going, there's not much left to On the Edge of All Reason. So in other words, a few chapters or so and it'll be coming to an end. This is my longest story _ever _and in fact, I found it quite refreshing from writing just simple one shots. I never got tired of this story (perhaps some writer's block, but in any case…) and it's been just plain fun. THANK YOU to everyone who reviewed and read this story! You're all too kind to me!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Samurai Champloo.

**On the Edge of All Reason**

**Chapter Ten: A Simple Word**

Rain was falling angrily against the window while thunder rattled the building, threatening to make it crumble. But Fuu wasn't still up for that reason. Her mind was so restless and filled to the brim with thoughts, fears, realization…Everything she thought she knew was a complete lie. It hurt to know that Shinsuke had goaded her on, making her believe he was some criminal. She thought that out of all people, he'd be able to confide in _her_. Fuu knew the thought was childish, but even so, she couldn't help it. They were both like prisoners in a way…Him a prisoner to the organization because of his job, and her because of her father's past mistakes.

She rolled over on her stomach, her hand dangling over the edge of the bed. Nagasaki kept ringing in some far corner of her head, beckoning to her like some unseen force.

They _had _to go there—that much she knew. It was like some sort of impulse; the money was there. If it wasn't…well then hell. She shut her eyes in hopes of wishing away the dark thoughts circling around her mind like some black hole with no luck in return.

_God help me…_

It was soon the next morning, and Fuu found that sleep had not come to her easily. She tripped and trudged into the bathroom, not too horrified with her appearance. She had been expecting the rat's nest hair, dark-circled eyes, and messed up clothes. In fact, she looked better than expected. Fuu brushed her teeth quickly before rearranging her clothes and tidying up her hair and going downstairs.

The apartment was silent, and Fuu couldn't have asked for anything better. Facing Mugen right now was not on the top of her to-do list. She was tempted with the thoughts of escaping, a shiver running down her spine at the thought of escaping this mess, but realized it wasn't enough to satiate her. Something kept her drawn back, and that just made her angry.

She cursed and grumbled to herself all morning, banging dishes around everywhere, only stopping when one of the plates got a small chip. Sighing, she sat down at the table with a small bowl of cereal, realizing she was in no state to make breakfast. She'd inevitably set a fire. Minutes passed by, and her cereal began to turn soggy. Fuu felt that her appetite had evaporated during her tirade in the kitchen, so she readily threw out the cereal.

Her head kept turning to the door, the only thing standing in between her way of freedom. She just wanted to go back to what was normal. And for her, normal meant going to school, doing homework, and moving on with her life. Not sitting around in some dingy apartment, counting the days till her life went out. She felt like cattle with some number marked on her. And that just brought back angry thoughts and emotions. Shinsuke's death had truly sent her over the edge. She just didn't _care_.

As she thought of escaping, her thoughts led her in a crazy path back to Nagasaki. Her gut kept telling her to go there; it was all instinct. A wry smile came on her lips. She knew she had to be right. It all made sense in an eerie sort of her way…her dreams showing memories that gave way to the future right when she needed them most.

Now seemed like the perfect time to go. She was sure she could find her way back. In fact, it felt like she had just gone there yesterday, smiling and laughing down by the river near their vacation spot.

And there was the tiny bulb of inspiration. Nothing could stop her now.

--

"You didn't pay attention to my warning, did you?" Yatsuha asked, though it was more of a rhetorical statement. Jin paid her no mind, much like he always had. Here she was, yet again, standing in the middle of Shinsuke's, now his, apartment, threatening him again. She was quite the deceitful woman, but he knew better than to fall for her tricks. Although that might've been what had landed Shinsuke dead in the first place. But it didn't matter anymore. This organization would fall to the ground, and with it, every single member.

"I don't think you understand what kind of position you are in," continued Yatsuha. "Nagatomi is already suspicious of you. In fact, if we were so brash as to assume you were a spy, you would've been dead on the ground with him."

Jin let a shadow of a smile touch his lips. "Yet you chose to warn me."

Yatsuha's eyes fluttered with mild surprise before regaining their cool, confident glint. "Don't get too comfortable."

"You're making it far too challenging."

She smiled slightly. "I always do." She sauntered over towards him, taking slow, enunciated steps. Jin stood still, trying to predict her next move. There was always the possibility of her carrying a small, concealed weapon. In which case he could dodge easily. However, she didn't do anything on that trail of thought. Instead, she got on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his lips, his eyes widening slightly. It was a gentle, yet demanding and superior kiss, one that had his breath caught in his throat. Yet, when she pulled away, his expression was the same as ever.

"Cold as ever," she chided. "Don't tell me you didn't feel anything."

Jin gave a small, crooked smile after regaining his original thought process. "I felt pity for the fool who falls for you."

"What he doesn't know, he'll never find out," she shrugged.

Silence hung in the air for a few, long moments before she turned on her heel and left.

--

It was another cold, rainy night, and Mugen had only returned home once to find Fuu fast asleep on the bed. However, he was currently standing against a brick wall, shivering slightly from the cold, wet winds. The streetlamps were all burnt out, giving the decrepit area a more foreboding look than before. He could see the faint outline of a cat slinking along the walls before turning into an open trashcan, digging for food.

Sighing, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his lighter and cigarettes. The image of Fuu instantly came into his head, and he laughed quietly. He figured he'd have just this one and hell, why not in her honor? Something she would surely disapprove of regardless. He clicked the lighter, letting the orange-yellow flame spark into the moist air. It hissed and spat as raindrops pummeled into it viciously. Mugen quickly lit a cigarette before it went out completely.

A content sigh escaped his lips as he exhaled the gray smoke of the cigarette. The ashes fell to the ground in tiny, red, insignificant dots.

Holding his cigarette in one hand, he took a glimpse at his watch. 2:10 am. He still had about 20 minutes to go before his case would show up. He merely went by the name Shige. In fact, he used to be a member of Retrogression before becoming mentally unstable. And that was seen as a huge risk. He could easily leak out information that would otherwise be unnecessary.

Mugen cursed Shige's lack of 'brain stability' which led to his late night strolls. He had estimated he'd be coming around home at 2:30, though he never knew with him. He still found it annoying that he wasn't kept locked up in some asylum, away from people. Then again, his choice of living was far from what could be said as living near normal people. The only people who crawled around these streets were bums, drug addicts, and anything else on the unlikable side.

It was then that he heard the wheezing laugh of Shige amidst the rain. He once again thanked his luck for letting it rain tonight. Easier to wash away the blood.

Mugen quickly extinguished his cigarette before crouching down into the shadows. The outline of Shige's stumbling body could be seen, and it was clear he was intoxicated. Mugen frowned at this. Drunks were unpredictable. Some never knew what hit them…and others? Well, they just gained some sort of newfound strength. Shige was already unstable to begin with…who knew if he had some superhuman abilities hidden up his sleeve.

Shige looked like a mess, his unruly ash-black hair sticking in every direction with bloodshot eyes. His face looked rather placid, though Mugen wasn't fooled for a second. He knew that just by looking at his eyes something was off. Grunting, he reached for his sword.

Shige grinned lightly, a strange glint in his eyes. "Ah, the memories of prowling the streets with a sword in hand…" Mugen gave him an odd look, before rolling his eyes and whipping out the long blade. It shone dangerously in the faint moonlight. "I hear you're babysitting a girl."

"Shut up," Mugen spat, tightening his grip around the sword's hilt.

"Tell me…Is she going to end up dead too? Like me?" He taunted.

"How the hell do you even know about this?"

Shige faltered for a moment's hesitation before smiling again. "I'm crazy, they say—a lunatic. I have my ways. And if I remember correctly, assassins don't spend time chit-chatting with their targets." Mugen seethed before readjusting his blade.

"Go to hell!"

"I'll be sending you a postcard!" Shige taunted, spreading his arms wide open. A beer bottle dangled from his left hand, the little amount of liquid left in it swishing around with his permanently shaking hands. Mugen gave him another odd look before smirking.

"Alright then…If that's what you want." Shige had a dazed grin on his face.

Mugen charged forward with the tip of his sword coming closer and closer to Shige's chest. Within a few seconds, that sword was the only thing keeping Shige up. Mugen gruffly pulled it out, letting blood spurt onto the ground and Shige's clothes. Shige's eyes shut halfway, blood bubbling from his mouth which was forever stuck in a lazy grin. His eyes seemed red and deranged as his body fell to the ground. Mugen watched with a raised brow before cleaning off his sword once more.

Raindrops pooled into Shige's blood. The beer bottle lay broken beside him, still caught lightly in his grip.

"Don't…t-think…your problems…are…o-over," Shige gasped with a final breath.

Mugen didn't think he'd be able to sleep this night.

--

The hat on her head felt suffocating and annoying. She wanted desperately to pull it off and stop hiding. The train moved with a steady rhythm along the tracks, creating a sort of lullaby. However Fuu wouldn't allow herself to sleep. She was on the last leg of her fight for her life. She would find the money and get out. After this, she'd never even think of Nagasaki or Mugen or anyone else again. They were all horrible parts of her life.

She glanced at her watch. It had been about four hours since Mugen last checked on her at the apartment, making it 7:00. She wondered if he knew she was gone yet._ Probably not…_She thought with annoyance.

She rested her head against the window, watching the dark clouds roll by. She wondered if anything would be different when she came back to her old life. It's not like the news covered her case that much anymore. Plus, she didn't have many friends to begin with, save for one best friend named Saku. It had pained her one morning to see her best friend's face on the news. It was apparent that she had been crying earlier. _At least somebody cared_, Fuu thought sadly.

As the minutes ticked by, Fuu began to wonder if she had made the right choice in leaving on her own. Something about it just didn't seem right. It felt as though she were leaving something behind—what, she didn't know. "Stupid paranoia…" she mumbled before yawning.

Slowly, she let her eyelids fold over her brown eyes as sleep washed over her.

Thunder roared in the distance, and Fuu awoke with a start. The man beside her was still fast asleep, snoring lightly. Fuu shivered a little before turning her head to look back out the window as raindrops splashed against it. The scattered raindrops soon turned into a full-on storm. It was as if the weather was mocking her dark, uncertain mood.

_I just want to go home…I should've gone home! I had the chance! But they probably would've found me, and I'd be living in constant fear for the one day they did…It's just better if I get the money so they'll leave me alone. It's simple. I give the money, they give me back my life. I can go back to school, see Saku, and graduate. _Fuu smiled a little at the thought of graduating and getting a job. She wanted to make it out in the real world and become something—17 years was far too short.

However, she thought of Mugen's future soon after. What would become of him? Was she just another number to him? Would he eventually go on the way he had been for a good part of his life? Somehow, it disturbed her to know that after all this, he wouldn't bat an eye. He'd probably go off getting drunk more than he did with her around, kill people…just live his life. _Of course you idiot…He doesn't need some kid around him all the time! _She let out a shaky sigh, tightly wrapping her jacket around her cold body. _I just…don't want him to forget me after all this time. It'd feel like such a waste._

And that's where her silly, although completely normal for her age, schoolgirl side came out. She treated herself to thoughts based on 'what ifs'. It was an easy game, yet one hard to accept. She wondered if she got out of this mess—_when! I get out of this mess_, she corrected—could it be possible for her to have a future with Mugen? Could they build up a solid foundation with such a shaky past together? She groaned in annoyance and embarrassment. Since when did she start having feelings for _Mugen_? She always thought if anything, it was Shinsuke. But perhaps they were only compatible on a friendly level, or a brother-to-sister thing.

_But Mugen of all people? Honestly Fuu…Your brain has got to be screwed up. _

--

Mugen yawned as he walked in through the door, locking it behind him. The apartment seemed quiet. Slightly suspicious, he shrugged it off as he dropped his jacket on the couch, sauntering over into the kitchen. He pulled out a bottle of water and let the cold liquid glide down his dry throat. Wiping his mouth, he made his way over to the stairs and ascended them quietly, for fear of waking Fuu up. She had a horrible temper (he had unfortunately noticed—the wrong way), and waking her up now was just asking for trouble.

Deciding to check up on her, he opened the door to a mere crack. His brows knotted together in confusion when he saw that the bed was neatly made, as if almost wiping away the existence of the person who had just recently occupied it.

Panic seized his body as he opened the door all the way. Mugen ran inside, frantically looking around before his eyes rested on a small piece of white paper resting on the nightstand. Snatching it up, his eyes quickly roved it over:

_Mugen—_

_I know you're probably pissed by this point, but I had to do it. I finally figured out where the money is. I'm almost 100 sure I'm right. My instincts keep telling me where I should go, and who am I to deny them? Remember how I told you about my dreams of my memories of going to this one place with my parents? Well, I finally remembered it—Nagasaki. I wanted to tell you, but that was the night Shinsuke got murdered. It just ran away from my mind. But now that I know what to do and that my instincts are just pushing me to go, I figured it'd be best if I went by myself. I haven't really figured out what I'm going to do once I get the money, but don't worry. If your "boss" or whatever gets on your case, show him this letter. That oughta clear things up! I have to go now—the train will leave without me. _

_Love_

_Sincerely,_

_Fuu_

Mugen stood there quietly before crumpling the letter in his fist. "That idiot…" he murmured, looking somewhat lost and in a daze. He saw the word she had crossed out furiously…love. He knew it was stupid of him to over analyze something as trivial as the ending of a letter, but it bothered him. It touched a nerve, one that he rather have left alone.

Suddenly, as if his head connected to the real world, he ran out of the room and down the stairs, barely sweeping his jacket onto his arm. By now it was too late to do much about her going there, but he just had to make it to Nagasaki. A certain sort of feeling of dread crept along his back at the thought of her being alone there. He just knew something bad would happen—it was all over in his bones.

He ran all the way to the train station, just barely catching one. His hair was damp with sweat as his chest puffed in and out, trying to regain its normal tempo. The train lurched to a start and began to glide smoothly over the tracks. For the first time in hours, he finally allowed his body to relax and give into sleep. It would be of no use to go all the way there with a nearly dead body.

As his head rested against the window, Shige's last words rang through his head.

_Don't think your problems are over…_

**AN: **We're almost there guys!


	12. On the Edge of All Reason

**AN: **Well guys…This is a pretty long chapter, the longest one yet…And it's the last I believe, minus the epilogue. So no worries, it's not completely over. I don't know if I built it up the correct way or if I got everything the way I wanted…but I don't think I ever will get it just the way I imagined…so without further ado, here it goes.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Samurai Champloo.

**On the Edge of All Reason**

**Chapter Eleven: On the Edge of All Reason**

With a few stops and questioning, Fuu was able to make it back to her summer vacation spot. It was just how she remembered it, though now it looked very forlorn and old. A familiar pang found its way into her chest as she remembered her parents' voices and rings of laughter mixed with her own. Straining her ear, she could hear the bubbling of the same stream that wound its way by them.

Sighing lightly, she began to walk on the worn-out, dirt path up to the entrance of the house, hesitating before reaching out to skim the door's wooden surface with her fingertips. This must've triggered some sort of memory, for she quickly stooped down and removed a smooth, gray stone underneath the porch and found a small, brass key indented in the ground.

It was dusty and coated with dirt, but she knew it was the little piece of miracle that could get her inside. Letting out a deep breath, she inserted the key into the door, and it slid open, much like the old dojo-styled houses did.

The wooden floors were wrapped up in a coat of dust; an overwhelming sadness surfaced in Fuu's heart. This was what she had left of her parents. A bitter smile made its way on her face as she thought about those kids at school who would complain and whine about how unfair their parents were, or how strict they could be. Perhaps she only thought this way because she was on the other end of the spectrum. However, it still hurt to know she didn't even _have _parents to talk about.

Shaking her head as if the motion would clear her thoughts, she stumbled in awkwardly to one of the bedrooms. It was her old room, the one that she occupied whenever they visited. The comforters were a soft pink while most of the other furniture in her room was white. A far contrast in what her apartment looked like—shabby and dull. Tilting her head to the side, she realized this room was vibrant…or at least, used to be. After years of being abandoned, it seemed as if the life had been snuffed out of it.

Turning on her heel, she closed the sliding door of her bedroom and walked back into the main area. The silence was far too overpowering for her, so in one quick motion, as if on instinct, she rushed to the back of the house, stepping out into the cool air. She breathed in the lovely smell of the outdoors while walking down to the stream. It looked a lot smaller than she remembered, though the last time she had seen it, she had been considerably smaller.

Fuu peered down into it, watching a few fish slide by in the light current. The water parted whenever it came across rocks, only to merge back again. Fuu knelt over and rolled up her pants before taking off her shoes. Tentatively, she slipped her feet into the water and smiled at how refreshing it felt.

_I don't want to go back to Tokyo…I don't have to go back either. I can stay here forever. No one will ever find me here in Nagasaki…_Her eyes suddenly shot open before entering a hazy, half-lidded sleep. She had written in her letter to Mugen where she was. An act of idiocy on her part, she concluded. Then again, she hadn't told him her specific location in Nagasaki…just the small fact that she was at her vacation spot. It's not like he'd ever find it. _Assuming he'd even bother…_A small, doubtful voice said.

Fuu snorted in a rather undignified way.

"I don't need him," she said aloud, softly. "He's nothing but a jerk. Unless I'm suicidal, I'm better off here, alone. Where I can get some peace of mind."

With that thought pleasantly floating by in her head, she lifted her feet out of the water and trudged back to the house. Thoughts of Mugen had brought up the whole reason as to why she was here. Get the money, send it to Mugen, and live her own life. A determined glint was in her chestnut eyes by the time she stalked back into the house. She paused briefly at the doorway, cursing herself for thinking that somebody would be there to greet her. Her parents maybe, or perhaps a nearly-drunk Mugen sprawled on the couch. Unnecessary thoughts either way.

After shaking off her disgusted thoughts, she walked over to her parents' bedroom, somewhat nervous to open it. She was afraid some horrific sight would befall her eyes. Something like them not waking up in their sleep, or perhaps their mangled bodies. Fuu choked on these thoughts, reprimanding herself for such morbid scenarios. They weren't there, that was that.

Sliding the door open, she sidled in. She could see dust floating lazily in the air as she walked into the center of the room. A queen-sized bed was against the wall, facing the wall with the door. It looked far too empty and sad for her. Sighing, she let her thoughts drift back to the money issue. She was sure it would be here somewhere. If not, then her dad was one hell of trickster.

She opened the closest, searched under the bed, and opened drawers before throwing her hands up in frustration. Her head turned a little to face the bed. She didn't want to mess up the covers, feeling as if that would be disrespectful. Plus, she highly doubted it would be there. However, she curiously peeled back a pillow, checking to see if anything was hidden underneath. Nothing.

This wasn't as easy as she thought it would be.

But then again, when was anything ever easy?

--

It had been a few hours since Mugen had arrived in Nagasaki. He had eagerly gotten off the train, glad to get away from an annoying woman's chatter. People milled around the train station as he walked past them, some of them suddenly talking in hushed whispers as he walked by. Typical behavior. _At least one thing stays constant for me_, Mugen thought idly.

He yawned, stretching out his sinewy limbs before running a hand through his hair. Quite frankly, he didn't know where to begin. Fuu hadn't exactly left specific directions, so he could only assume she didn't really want him on her trail. That just irked him. After all the shit they had gone through, this was the result? No way. He wouldn't even let this happen—and truth be told, he didn't want her out of his hair. As annoying as she could be, he had grown used to her. However, he would never admit this, not even to her.

Sighing, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and began to walk along the sidewalk, gazing with uninterested glances at the various shops. The area was congested with people, mostly teenagers out for the weekend or adults going to their jobs. Mugen noticed that they seemed a lot happier here. Tokyo was turning into some sort of depressing place. For now, Nagasaki seemed to retain a bright exterior.

After an hour of useless walking, Mugen realized he wouldn't just magically find Fuu's vacation house. It was a disheartening thought, but true all the same. Trudging down the sidewalk, he decided to just wing it and take the next train. Some feet away, a sign pointing to the train station was held up. People crowded his way towards the train station, and he felt slightly nauseous. Within a few minutes though, he had managed to snag a seat.

Leaning back as the train came to life, he stared out the window. The scenery was beginning to give way to empty landscapes, parts of earth that hadn't been touched. From this, Mugen figured he must've been in a smaller area of Nagasaki to begin with. Buildings eventually disappeared altogether from the scenery and were replaced by small, rolling hills dotted with bright green grass that swayed with the light breezes that blew by every now and then. It was a mesmerizing sight—quite different from the dilapidated buildings he was used to seeing out his window each morning.

A smile came upon his face as he realized what an adventure he was on. He was merely going on instinct, just taking a train to god knows where. And for what? Some teenage girl who probably didn't give a damn.

Anger took over his thoughts and feelings when he came to this conclusion. She was probably sitting somewhere, all content and carefree, not even thinking about the consequences. He knew she wrote that letter that explained everything, but his mind was saying otherwise. Because when it came down to it, he didn't really know her all that well. He hardly trusted her at times. But all the same, he cared.

And that was the problem.

He cared, and no explanation he thought of seemed to suffice. She had barely left a good impression on him, and he highly doubted he had for her. However, a small part of him was hoping against all hope that she at least felt something for him rather than the first instant of disgust she had. _At least she never feared me._ That thought somewhat lifted his spirits. Oddly enough, she _didn't _seem to be afraid of him. Maybe intimidated, but she got over that quickly. And somehow, her never fearing him made him feel like he wasn't so bad of a person, that he wasn't the killer that he was.

--

Something was happening. He could feel it in his bones as he woke up to the empty apartment. Jin slapped a hand against the surface of his nightstand before finding his glasses. Quickly setting them into place, he threw aside the covers and dressed quickly. After concealing his swords within his long jacket, he walked outside, momentarily pausing to think of where to go first. It was either headquarters or Mugen's apartment. Picking the latter, he wasted no time to getting there, a light sprint in his step.

Fifteen minutes later, he found himself pushing open the steel door of Mugen's apartment, not surprised to find it empty. Everything looked as if a pause button had been hit against it. Jin slowly treaded in before nearing the stairs. Looking up slightly, he began to climb them with caution. The upstairs proved to be very small, almost non-existent.

He lightly pushed aside the door of the bathroom with his knuckles only to find it empty. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary so he turned to his left to do the same motions with the bedroom door. The bed was unmade, the covers draping to the ground in a distasteful fashion.

Going back down the stairs, he noticed that the television was still on as well. Whoever had been here last had left in a rush it seemed. Or simply didn't care to turn off the television. Either way, it irked Jin. Something was going on, and he needed to know.

Thoughts ran wild through his head, and he just knew it had to be about the girl…something had to add up to her. She was the catalyst for all of these events…or perhaps Mugen's emotions for her. Either way, it didn't matter for they all led to the same conclusion: disaster.

Jin turned to leave when suddenly the door to the apartment swung open. Yatsuha made her way in, looking bored yet slightly aggravated. However, when her eyes landed on his lone figure, they snapped wide open.

"You…"

Jin raised a brow before heading towards her, rather, brushing past her, when she suddenly caught his arm in a vice-like grip.

"I know you know. You have an idea…I can tell by just looking in your eyes. Where the hell is Mugen and that brat?! _Tell me_!" She shrieked, shaking him the most her strength would permit. A wild look of fury and hate was in her eyes as she tried to shoot daggers at him with a single glare.

"I don't know," was all Jin could muster to say.

And then, as if someone had been controlling her with a remote, she stopped and regained her composure. She sighed lightly in annoyance as if someone had stupidly pulled on a door that said push. What caught Jin off guard though, was the small smile she made.

"Then…I suppose it was for the best that I already sent some men after him. They've been following him since he left…It's amazing how easy it is to find information on people, you know?" She let out a derisive laugh at this. "_You _of all people should know!"

A cynical smile found its way to Jin's lips. "How fitting…I've always wondered why you never deemed it necessary to strip me of my disguise." His shoulders shook slightly with melancholy laughter. Yatsuha's gaze softened before she came close to him and rested her hands on his chest. She looked somewhat lost and sad, but she shook her head quickly as if to rid these thoughts. Slowly but surely, she began to push him towards the couch before pushing him down on it. Before he could even respond, she placed herself on top and pressed wild kisses to his lips. Jin suddenly felt as if all the air in his lungs had evaporated.

What hurt the most was when he began to respond to her kisses.

Every inch of his mind was screaming at him to stop and push her away—she was the enemy. However, his body was giving in and somehow, he couldn't stop. Slowly, his body began to release the tension he had been feeling for months on end, sinking back into the couch. God, this was twisted…making out in an apartment that had two missing people currently, while the woman he was making out with just happened to be the bad guy…as well as lover of one of the missing persons…but nothing could stop the two. They were like fire and ice, light and dark, actors in a terrible, terrible play…

She moaned into his mouth, sending his stomach up to his throat when suddenly, something felt different. She wasn't kissing him anymore, and soon enough, she withdrew. His cold eyes gazed at her unblinkingly while inside his head was a storm. And to make matters worse, when she started to unbutton her jacket and shrug it off, he couldn't help but feel a pit of desire bubbling in his stomach.

Before she slid out of the jacket, she pushed him back down as he began to make moves to get up, forcing her tongue to slip into his mouth. Once again, he was the caught fly in the spider's web, making him feel more vulnerable than ever. He could sense her smiling against his lips. Yatsuha's hands began to wander, unbuttoning his shirt, however Jin's mind was currently possessed by the passion of this woman, not even thinking of where he was or what he was doing.

Yatsuha pulled away again, causing Jin to groan in annoyance. It was as if she were teasing him.

"Close your eyes," whispered Yatsuha in a sultry, husky voice, and Jin found himself complying with her request. "I want it to be a surprise."

Yatsuha watched with unnerving ease as Jin's eyes shut, closing him off from reality. Her eyes were suddenly cold, as if the fire in them had been smoldered out. She shifted herself on his body, legs straddling him. She smiled when his body twitched involuntarily. How easy it was…

Deciding not to waste another minute, she delved her hand into the inside of her jacket before pulling out a knife. It wasn't extremely big, but it wasn't a small kitchen knife either.

_You're just in the way of everything…_She drew back her hand before sending the knife towards his chest, where his heart burning with the turmoil of anxiety and lust lay beating.

Jin's eyes suddenly snapped open as he just barely moved out of the way of Yatsuha's knife. Blood trickled out of his wound that was inches away from his heart, the center of his life. His breathing was growing ragged as the blood began to seep out. He felt as if he were losing touch with the world. Sweat formed tiny beads across the top of his head, and the last thing he saw before falling back on the couch was Yatsuha calmly buttoning her jacket and leaving the apartment.

--

Fuu had begun to give up on thinking of where the money could possibly be. However, she wouldn't allow her mind to accept defeat…there was no way those dreams could've appeared by mere coincidence. It _had _to be some sort of sign…albeit a very muddled one. But she just had to be in the right place…she wouldn't believe otherwise.

Her mind tried to race through any snippet of her dreams she remembered, searching for anything her father might've said. Her spirits were deflated when she realized despairingly that he never said much, if anything, in her dreams. Rather, he just stood in the shadows and watched with fatherly affection.

"Just give me a damn sign…anything…" she whispered before collapsing on her bed, not caring if the covers got wrinkled. She was too tired to even stand up for two seconds. As her breathing slowed down to that of a resting one, she opened her mind to dreams of memories, things forgotten in passing.

"_See this tree? This is where we've marked our names." Fuu gazed at the tree, reading the carvings. Her mother and father's name was etched in its tough trunk. "This was back before you were born. Now that you're here, we want you to carve in your name." _

_Fuu smiled lightly before gazing up at her father who smiled down at her with love. She slowly began to carve in her name, balking every now and then when she felt that she messed up a letter. Her tongue poked out in concentration as she carefully finished the 'i' in Kasumi. _

"_I'm done!" She announced proudly while stepping back to admire her work. Her father patted her shoulder, something he did whenever he wanted to show praise or affection. _

"_It's lovely, Fuu. And now this tree shows our family." _

Fuu jolted awake, wearily looking at her surroundings before clambering off her bed. She tripped over her own feet as she made her way outside the house, stopping to gaze at the horizon. The twin mountain peaks that had always been in the distance suddenly looked foreboding. Just at the feet of the mountains lay a thicket of trees before giving way uphill to the mountains.

However, what concerned her was hidden in the thicket. A certain tree was in there, one that her family knew quite well. She wasn't sure if after all this time she'd be able to find it, but there was no way she would pass the chance up now.

Without bothering to take anything with her, she bounded towards the mountains, which wasn't a very short distance at all…it felt as if she were leaving her feet behind for her body was leaning forward as if it would quicken the amount of time it'd take to get there. She hopped over the stream, never losing her quickening pace or her balance. She felt as if she were in total control.

Her heartbeats were scattered, and she could feel a distinctive pounding in her ears. Her whole body throbbed with pain and exhaustion, but when she saw the thicket becoming closer and bigger, she was elated. Everything was worth it at this point.

_I'm going to make it_…She thought with relief. Relief from what—she didn't know. But for the past few days, she felt as if a timer had been placed on her life, ready to beep any minute.

As she neared the thicket, she slowed down, allowing her body to take in some much needed air. Fuu soon realized just how hard she had run, for she could barely feel her legs. Sweat dripped down her cheeks, but the shade of the trees had helped immensely along with the light breezes that passed every now and then. However, none of this would satisfy her until she found that tree.

A little voice inside her head had been telling her that the money had to be buried beside that tree ever since she woke up from that dream. And she felt like it was right. Her feet started to take her somewhere in the midst of the trees, just searching for anywhere a clue. Her eyes roved over the scenery, but nothing stood out…then again, what was she expecting? All these trees looked the same…to search for some tiny carvings was like attempting to find one particular red dot in a sea of millions.

"Don't give up, don't give up," she whispered to herself, looking this way and that.

And then, as if by a miracle, she saw a tree that looked strange. Its branches drooped to the ground somewhat, not quite touching. It looked sad and misplaced. She trudged over to it, careful not to trip over roots or small pebbles. A disbelieving smile spread across her face when she saw it. There they were…the names of her parents along with her. She laughed slightly at the kiddy writing where she had attempted to carve her name below her parents' who looked so mature and elegant.

"I found it…I found it!" She yelped, feeling joyful. She dropped to her knees and picked up a large stick lying near the tree. Eagerly, she plunged it into the ground and began to push away the dirt. Fuu's brows furrowed together in frustration when she saw that the progress was going very slowly. She had been digging for ten minutes and nothing seemed to have happened.

Throwing away the stick, she resorted to digging with both her hands, sweating heavily. Soon enough, fifteen minutes had dragged by when suddenly, a tan color splotched with brown appeared. It was hard to see, but to one who was searching, it did not go unnoticed. Fuu squealed in delight, this little visual quickening her pace tenfold.

All her actions were seized at the sound of a gunshot.

--

Mugen had just got off the train and found himself walking on a country-type road. The path was rugged and strewn with pebbles. Dust kicked up at his heels as he walked by. Something kept sticking out in his memory as he had passed by landscapes on the train. Two mountain tops it seemed with a little dot in front which he seemed to think was the outline of a house.

For some reason, he kept holding onto this image, with the possibility that it could be where Fuu was. Once he saw her, he didn't know what he'd do. Maybe scream at her, tell her how stupid she was, or perhaps, he'd do nothing. Could he take her back? And why would he? She'd just be thrown back into a life that wasn't meant for her to live. She was escaping death now, and he had to congratulate her on that. She was in a way, fearless.

How many people dared to do the things she did? Not many, that's for sure.

Looking up, he realized he was quite close to the mountains. They seemed bigger and more majestic as he neared them. Soft, wispy clouds hung around the mountain peaks, as if frozen by time. As he studied the mountains, that's when he realized he was closer than ever to the small house. Mugen then decided to cut through the grassy fields rather than continue on the never-ending road.

The closer he got to it, the more over-whelming his thoughts became. She had to be here. This had to be the place…he couldn't think of any other answer. Luck must've been on his side today.

That would soon all change as he neared the house. It looked empty and quiet, though with only one person (or so he assumed), things couldn't get too loud. With one eye peeled for danger, Mugen made his way towards the door, a little wary to find it unlocked. He strolled in, gazing around the room before coming face to face with a burly man.

Mugen tilted his head slightly to peer into his beady, black eyes.

His first thought was worry for Fuu. Was it possible that she had been murdered? Taken away? He couldn't see or hear her, and that's what got him worried.

"Alright. Where is she?"

The man sneered at him before pulling out a sword. Mugen cursed. Somehow, some way, the organization had found them. As far as his knowledge went, they were the only ones who used swords in this day and age. Most people who even owned a sword merely set upon a mantle to let it gather dust. Occasionally they'd clean it off if guests were coming only so they could brag about how much of a rarity it was.

"Such a shame you came unprepared," the man's deep voice boomed before lunging at him. Mugen quickly dodged, grimacing at his predicament. He ran outside so he could dodge the man's thrusts easier, though that risky pause had almost cost him his life to open the door. The man, despite being huge, was quick. In fact, Mugen could've sworn a few hairs on his head had been cut off.

"Damn it," he cursed quietly, searching for anything to use as a makeshift weapon. Mugen decided to run back around the house to the backyard in search of a tree branch or something, _anything_, to defend himself with. It was times like these that he cursed his forgetfulness. Otherwise, if he had a sword, he'd be done with this man in a mere minute.

"Quit running so I can chop off your head, you mutt!" The man yelled, a twisted grin on his face.

"Mugen!" A voice called.

Mugen stopped abruptly in his tracks to see Yatsuha standing there, smiling at him. He let out a sigh of relief.

"Yatsuha, you have to stop this lunatic! I don't have time to deal with him-"

"I'm afraid you'll have to," she interrupted, a smile still plastered to her face. Mugen gave her odd look before turning around to see the man standing ready with his sword. His smile was filled with malice and lust for blood.

"I don't think I'm getting this…" Mugen said slowly, turning back to face her.

"No, it's obvious you don't. But…you see, this is a very complicated issue, isn't it?" She laughed bemusedly. "I have watched you like a hawk ever since that girl came along. You've changed…changed so much that you're suspect to anything that might go wrong in our organization. Meaning, you seem to be influenced by the idea of turning a new leaf…it's not good for us, Mugen."

Mugen laughed while lacking the humor in his voice. "Is this what it's all about?"

This must've been the snapping point for Yatsuha, for she suddenly slapped him across the face. It was a loud, resounding noise, and Mugen could feel a terrible stinging sensation. He tentatively brought a hand up to his face to nurse his cheek. "What the hell…"

"This is all a stupid, little _joke_ to you, isn't it?!" She screeched, stepping away from him. "I _know _you care for that damn brat! I know you do!"

"So that's your _motive_," he sneered back, inwardly surprised at how quick he was to reciprocate her hate towards him. It was as if his heart had been waiting a long time to scream and chew her out. "You let your feelings and assumptions get in the way…so what better way than to eliminate the cause."

Yatsuha balled up her hands into tight fists. "You don't know a damn thing…"

"And what you are plotting to do once you get rid of me?" He smirked.

The man behind Mugen made a notion to step forward, however the menacing look in Yatsuha's eyes made him cease all action. Instead, he merely tightened his hold on the sword, gritting his teeth to ward off his desire to slit Mugen's throat.

"I'll kill that brat too, and while I'm on a roll, I'll take the money. I'm sure she has it by now. Besides, a spy had told us she was heading off somewhere. With some extensive researching, we found all we needed to know. And then when I hand over that lovely amount of money to Nagatomi, I'll be in such good-graces that everything in my life will go just a bit smoother."

"Conniving bitch…" Mugen muttered with a cynical half-smile.

Yatsuha returned the smile before reaching into the inside of her jacket. Mugen watched carefully to see her reveal the sleek metal of a gun. The smile from her face dropped as she slowly raised her arms up, grasping the gun tightly. Her finger was tense over the trigger, and Mugen felt like he was rooted to his spot. And then it all happened in the blink of an eye.

The bullet sped towards him, and somehow, Mugen found the feeling in his legs and dodged it. The man behind him however, was not expecting this, and for that reason, found his chest spurting blood. His eyes were wide in shock and pain as the bullet lodged itself in his heart. The sword fell out of his slack grip before he toppled to the ground in a bloody heap.

"I'll get you on the next shot," Yatsuha calmly announced, not caring at all for the now dead man.

However, she couldn't properly aim for him as he kept running around her, trying to catch her off guard. Suddenly, he found his opportunity and punched her in the gut. She gasped in pain as Mugen caught her. Her grip was lost on the gun as it fell to the ground. Her breaths came out short as she struggled to stay conscious.

"You bastard…" she mumbled, tearing herself away from his loose grip.

She fell to the ground and struggled to pull her body closer to the gun before Mugen easily kicked it out of her reach.

"I don't think so."

Yatsuha groaned with pain, as Mugen knelt down next to her.

It was then though, that Fuu suddenly appeared, panting heavily. She had run the whole way back, never stopping to slow down to a light jog or fast walk. Ever since she heard the gun shot, she felt this scary sort of trepidation in her heart. And the whole way there, she kept thinking of Mugen. Several 'what-if' questions raced through her mind, though the other half of her, the more rationalizing side of herself kept insisting it was impossible. Yet, when she saw Mugen standing there, she let loose all of her rationality.

She felt as if everything had been placed on the edge of all reason, and nothing was right anymore. But seeing him standing there, alive and intact with only a few scrapes and bruises made her heart flutter and skip a beat.

"_Mugen_!" She yelled, running over to him without a second thought and jumped as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He looked taken aback, grimacing slightly at the force of her weight being thrown against him. He slowly placed his arms around her as well, somewhat enjoying the contact. It felt…right.

Fuu suddenly tore away from him to stare at the body of the dead man and Yatsuha's struggling figure.

"What…what happened?"

"Apparently…we were both on Yatsuha's to kill list." Fuu quickly eyed the discarded gun and felt tremors of fear run down her spine when she relived the moment where she had first heard the gun shot.

And apparently, it had made its mark…on the body of another man.

Pushing these thoughts away, she faced Mugen once more. "I found the money…it's way over in that thicket over there. I was about to get it when I heard the gun shot."

Mugen nodded, suddenly not caring too much about the money anymore; ironically enough, it was what started this whole chain of events. Something he wasn't too pleased with…except he _did _like the part where he met Fuu. He smiled at her with affection which she caught out of the corner of her eye and sent one back with equal affection.

"Don't…Don't think we're finished here…" Yatsuha gasped as she picked up the gun. She wearily got to her feet, shaking slightly in pain and instability. Mugen eyed the gun with worry and somewhat shoved Fuu behind him in case Yatsuha was scheming something right then and there.

But she surprised them all.

The barrel of the gun was resting to the side of her head as numerous tears escaped her eyes.

"I give up…" She whispered. "I give up on all of this…I don't know how to get out of it…there's nothing that I can do to change any of it…to go back in time when we were together and happy…I don't want to lead this life anymore…I don't want to be a part of something I hate…"

Apprehension dawned on both Mugen and Fuu's faces before Mugen suddenly lunged himself at Yatsuha in an attempt to take the gun away. Fuu screamed loudly when in the midst of all the confusion, the gun had gone off.

"Oh god…" she whispered.

* * *

**AN: **Keep on the look-out for an epilogue. Thank you so much to everyone who has read this story. It means a **lot**. 


	13. Epilogue

**AN: **Here it is—the last installment to the series. I feel so accomplished and so happy. But at the same time, I'm sad to let go of this story. It's the first multi-chapter story with a plot and so on and so forth that I actually _finished_. I hardly ever lost interest in writing it, and it was truly a pleasure to write. Thank you so much to those who have kept up with it and read it from start to finish. You guys mean so much! If you guys have any questions, just ask them in the reviews or privately message me.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Samurai Champloo.

**On the Edge of All Reason**

**Epilogue **

Jin woke up like he did every morning to the sound of his alarm clock beeping incessantly. He pushed the covers aside and soon after found his glasses lying on the nightstand as always. To add to his morning ritual, he would stop at the full-length mirror in a corner of his room and gaze at the scar on his chest. It wasn't too huge, but it left a big impression on Jin to make up for its small size.

His slender fingers gingerly traced it, almost as if they were afraid to touch it too firmly for it might tear open again. Jin's brows furrowed together in frustration as he trotted back to his closet and ripped a shirt off its hanger. He didn't like looking at it for too long.

But as he buttoned his shirt, thoughts of her resurfaced. The way she so easily slid her tongue into his mouth…the way she was so perceptive of everything…she was smart, but deadly.

When he saw in the newspaper that she had died, he didn't really know what to think. Relief and perhaps…sadness? He chuckled cynically at the thought of him actually caring for her and vice-versa. She was a mere obsession on his part, one that he secretly liked to indulge himself in. There was never any romance, but still. He didn't stop thinking of what could've happened.

But the fact that she had killed herself? Unspeakable. Then again, anyone in that sort of organization may as well do the same. Often times he wondered what happened to Mugen and that girl who tagged along with him as well. Last he heard was that the girl was safe. But that's it…no details or anything. He most likely would've known three years ago when the events had taken place. However, he retired from his position on the police force. It wasn't worth it to him.

And quite frankly, he didn't know what was.

--

Fuu clambered into her bathroom to tie her hair into its normal style while frantically trying to place some toothpaste on her toothbrush. She'd be late to class…again. How many times was it this week? Probably too many.

She quickly finished brushing her teeth and getting dressed before heading downstairs to the kitchen. Her stomach was begging to be fed, but right now, only a piece of buttered toast would suffice. Mornings like this were never really her thing, but it couldn't be helped.

Within in ten minutes, Fuu had jogged out of her flat and to her car waiting on the other side of the street. She hopped into it and sped off while expertly avoiding wreckage with other cars or worse, pedestrians. _You know what? I'm already late, so I may as well enjoy the drive…_She thought while turning on the radio. It created a dull hum throughout the car since Fuu wasn't exactly listening. In fact, she was thinking of a certain someone…

_I wonder where he is…he left pretty much in the blink of an eye…what happened was so quick in those few minutes that I hardly remember it…maybe it was even a dream. A morbid one, that's for sure. But…I know it was real…everything that happened…_

An overwhelming ache hit her heart, and soon she found herself pulling over to the side of an abandoned road. She laid her head against the steering wheel while putting the car into park. Fuu was irked to discover that tears had pricked at the corners of her eyes.

Every so often, if she allowed her mind to dwell on it for long, she'd become overwhelmed with sadness and longing. Because the truth was, she missed him. After everything they had been through, after everything that had happened, she couldn't fathom how easily he had slipped right out of her life. She wondered where he was, what he was doing…did he even miss her the slightest bit? Every time she thought of that question, she would be reminded of the fact that he had actually _come _for her to Nagasaki…then again, he had a lot resting on his shoulders at the time. There were no inner feelings acting out for her.

Fuu tilted her head against the back of the chair, allowing herself to immerse into thoughts of that day…

"_Oh god…" Fuu whispered._

_Mugen's whole body froze with shock before shakily rising to his feet. As if that snapped him out of his daze, he scrambled away from the body that was once Yatsuha's. Her eyes were, fortunately, shut. It would've torn him apart to see her glassy, lifeless eyes staring straight back at him as if to say 'you did this to me'. No matter how bad their last moments together in life were, he still cared for her. _

_What have I done…He thought, eyes still wide with shock. Suddenly, he heard soft footsteps in the grass and quickly spun around to find Fuu, who jolted slightly at his sudden action. Her eyes were wide with fear and worry. And then, as if some inexplicable force had pushed them together, she wrapped him in her arms. Mugen never made a move to embrace her back, shock still settling in his nerves. _

_Yatsuha was dead…_

"_What have I done…?" He whispered aloud which only prompted Fuu to hug him tighter._

"_Nothing. You did nothing." _

_Mugen pulled away with unimaginable speed. "How the hell can you say that?! It had to be me! I pulled the trigger! I didn't mean to…I didn't…" He suddenly felt very, very tired. Fuu had a firm look in her eyes as she stepped closer once more._

"_You were trying to stop her. It's true. What happened was a complete accident." _

"_No…no…" he mumbled, sinking to the ground._

_Fuu watched with silent horror at how easily he blamed himself. He really thought he had taken the life of a woman he…loved. Even though she knew it was inappropriate to think, she couldn't help but feel a tug of jealousy. She wanted to, in some twisted, weird way, be the center of his life. She could finally admit to herself that she had grown to like him…maybe love. And after all they had gone through, how could they not? It just seemed too wrong to forget._

_Fuu silently knelt down beside Mugen and wrapped her arms around his shoulders in a comforting embrace. She'd see to it that he'd never put the blame upon himself._

_Because when you care for someone…you do everything in your power to protect them._

Fuu's eyes snapped open after being shut tightly as she relived that day. After that, he had simply vanished…the police took over from there. What surprised her was that Retrogression had been disassembled; something had gone on behind the scenes. She had even seen on the news one day a man by the name of Rikiei Nagatomi being handcuffed and pushed into a car…it was odd to finally see the man that she was so closely associated with through Mugen.

The bodies of Yatsuha and the man that came along with her had been identified and later buried, that much she knew of. If time permitted it, she often wondered if Mugen went to visit her grave, say all the things he wanted to say in those final moments.

_But it's all over now…it's _been _over. I've had three years to sort through everything…and I'm going to make it. _

With that, she put the car back in drive and headed forwards.

--

His new apartment was nice. It wasn't flamboyant nor was it bland. It was simply in between. In fact, it was a pricy apartment, but with the money the police had awarded him, he didn't find it too hard to earn. It was just nice not having to wake up to a dump for the past three years. He stood in the middle of the living room, the quiet air sinking in. It felt…strange. There was something missing…rather, someone.

It had been three years ago, but still…how much can change in that amount of time? _Everything. _

Looking at the couch, he smiled wryly. At least he wouldn't be confined to sleeping on it every night because a certain someone stole the bed and insisted that she was worth it…And god, was she worth it. Right now, he'd do anything to listen to her babble about junk such as clothes or celebrity gossip. But somehow, after all that had happened, he didn't think she was too into that anymore…

And it's not like she'd want to see his face anymore, after all the shit he had put her through. But if there was one thing above all others that he'd never forget, it was the embrace she gave him after Yatsuha's death. It was gentle, timid, yet loving and fierce all the same. And he wanted more of that. In a way, he had already considered her his in a protective notion. After guarding her all that time, he felt threatened at the idea of someone taking her or harming her…but in the end, he felt as if it were him who had taken her away and harmed her.

She had a life and it didn't include him.

Sighing, he wandered into his bedroom and pulled open a drawer from his dresser. Buried underneath his piles of shirts was a picture of Fuu. It was when she was younger, perhaps seven or eight. Her mom was holding her while smiling along with her dad who stood by proudly.

Mugen had gotten a hold of it after the police had arrived to the vacation house in Nagasaki. The police had been distracted with questioning Fuu and leading her to the car to take her away. Apparently it was Jin, the man he hated with every fiber of his being, who had told the police of the situation…if only Mugen had known.

He returned his gaze back to the photo that sat in his hands. Suddenly, it felt wrong to take a piece of her with him from a house that held so much value to her. It was as if he had returned to his days as the bad guy, stealing whatever he wanted. _But it feels like she stole a bit of me…_

Shaking his head, he placed it back in his drawer.

He'd return it another day.

For now, he'd hold onto her for as long as he could…

--

"_And_, he says he'll take me to New York one of these days!" Saku exclaimed, showing off the small, yet dazzling engagement ring.

Fuu beamed at her best friend, commenting on how the ring was gorgeous. They were walking through Tokyo, admiring certain clothes displayed in the shop windows. The more Saku gushed about her fiancée, the more she felt a pang in her heart for Mugen. She knew she couldn't put a damper on Saku's mood, especially since she had just gotten _proposed _to by her boyfriend of a year.

Right now, Saku had decided she wanted to go on a shopping spree in celebration of her engagement. They stood in the middle of a clothing store, one that contained very pricy items.

Fuu smiled slightly at the memory of the time where she made Mugen buy all the clothes she had picked out. The look on his face when he saw the price was more than worth it. A small laugh escaped her mouth, and Saku turned to give her a strange look while holding up a beautiful shirt by its hanger.

"What's so funny?" She prompted.

Fuu blinked before waving her hand in dismissal. "Oh, nothing. Just remember something funny I read." Saku smiled lightly before grabbing another shirt.

Turning to Fuu, she held up both shirts on either side of her face. "Which looks better?" She moved her head towards one shirt and then towards the other. Fuu pursed her lips, pretending as if it were a very hard question before pointing to the green one.

"It matches your eyes better," she supplemented beforehand, knowing Saku would demand _why _she chose that particular choice.

Saku promptly dropped the green shirt into the crook of her arm with other garments before turning to face Fuu. "Something's up. I know it is. If it's about Mugen…" She paused briefly. "If it's about Mugen, I'm so sorry for talking about my engagement on and on! I feel terrible." Saku had already known everything about Fuu's little 'ordeal' and in time, found out about the part where she had developed feelings for Mugen.

Fuu blushed lightly before waving her hands in protest. "No, no! I'm happy for you! I mean, Touya just proposed! You should be celebrating like crazy." Saku gave her a worried glance before complying.

"Alright…" She eyed Fuu surreptitiously before fully indulging herself into the many racks of clothes that lay ahead.

--

The air was chilly and blew biting winds every now and then, though Fuu couldn't feel them, fortunately. She was currently bundled up in a warm sweater with a blanket draped around her body. She was gazing outside the window, lost in a world of thought. She didn't know what brought her back to Nagasaki at this time of year, but she felt a strange sense of urgency to go. However, once she got there, it felt relatively calm if not calmer than the bustle she felt in the city of Tokyo. Here in the rolling hills and colorful landscape (though it was somewhat oppressed by winter) she felt more alive than ever.

Fuu sighed and reached over to the mug of hot chocolate slowly steaming and sipped some of it. She relished the way the smooth yet thick liquid glided down her throat. It warmed her bones, and she shivered slightly.

_This place…it was once filled with so many happy memories…what happened to all that? _Fuu wondered sadly. _Now all I can remember is Yatsuha dying…Mugen's guilt. _My _guilt. I hate all of this…_

Sighing, she slowly but surely got out of her comfy seat at the kitchen table. She loosely clutched the blanket around her shoulders like a shawl while grasping the handle of her mug. As she made her way over to her bedroom, she heard a tapping on the door. A bemused look settled on her face, wondering who actually came _here _of all places. _Maybe a hitchhiker…bad season for it though._

"I'm coming!" She snapped when the tapping grew more insistent. Her lips were set into a small scowl as she opened the door, only to drop her jaw in complete and utter shock.

"M…Mugen…?" She whispered, wearily stepping backwards to allow him entrance. Mugen smiled grimly as he stepped in, shaking the small, melting snowdrops out of his naturally messy hair.

"Long time no see, huh?"

Fuu suddenly dropped her mug of hot chocolate, and when it spilled a little on her socks, it must've woken her up for she quickly burst into apologies and swooped down to pick up the mug. Mugen, however, beat her to it and sauntered over to the kitchen, dropping it in the sink rather carelessly. He smirked when he turned around to meet her bewildered look.

And that's when she snapped. The hauntingly familiar gleam in his eyes caught her off guard and she sobbed.

"How could you just _leave _me behind as if _nothing _happened?! _How_?! Was I not _important_ enough?!" She shrieked, raising a hand to wipe away the falling tears. She knew it was selfish of her to say that, especially with Yatsuha's death, but she couldn't bear it…being left behind by the one person she had grown to depend on…the one person she became attached to.

Mugen stood there calmly, leaning against the counter with his palms pressing against the edge. He knew she had to let it all out sooner or later, and he believed it had been late enough.

"I mean, I thought you were even _dead_. Is that what you wanted me to think? Well," she sniffled slightly while laughing in a humorless tone and wiping away a tear, "you got what you wanted." And just like that, she stopped crying (though she hiccupped a little) and treaded past him to her room. "I don't even want to see you…I waited long enough."

"Wait."

Fuu stopped hesitantly, her back to him as he had come out of the kitchen and stood behind her a few feet away.

_Don't turn around…Don't turn around…_ Slowly, she turned around, her bottom lip quivering. She could feel another sob coming out, just waiting to burst from her throat. "Wh-what?" she whispered shakily. "Please…just…" she turned around completely at this. "don't make me wait any longer…don't."

"Can we start over? I'm not asking you to forget…I don't think you could. But I am asking to start over." He offered, slowly but surely taking small steps to come closer to her. Her body was shaking from what he could decipher as sobs. He hated seeing her cry…tears were never really his thing, but furthermore, he hated seeing _her _cry, _knowing _that _he _was the cause of it all. He had to repent for all of his actions…and he wanted to.

"I…" he gulped a little before continuing. "I can't just make this all better…pretend like everything will fall into place…but I can sure as hell try." Fuu looked up, curiosity evident in her eyes.

"I'm not asking you to," a tone of disbelief in her voice. "I don't want you to pretend. I'm sick of pretending."

"So am I," he chuckled.

Fuu smiled slightly, though it came off more as a grimace. Without even thinking, she jogged over to him and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, pressing the side of her cheek to his chest.

Mugen's eyes widened slightly, not really used to this. Oh, he was used to touching women…and much more, but this…this was different. This time, he actually gave a damn for the girl. _More like woman…_He thought idly, catching a quick glance at her body, and not only that, but her face as well. She had certainly matured, and he felt like those past events they had shared together were partly to blame. But either way, she was wonderful. There was something about her…she wasn't some sort of conventional beauty, but she was no Plain Jane either. She was simply Fuu.

And that was enough for him.

--

"You weren't kidding when you said you had a decent home now," Fuu said in awe, glancing at the room. It was definitely an upgrade from the old apartment she was used to staying in three years ago. Yes, certainly an upgrade…but what she liked the most was that she now _belonged _in it.

Mugen gave a small scowl, though he quickly smiled as he ushered her towards the bedroom. She smiled when she saw how neat it was, a lovely dresser sitting off to a side with a medium-sized yet tasteful bed sat against the wall the wall, facing them. Mugen gave a suggestive smirk before Fuu scowled and playfully punched him in the shoulder. "Not _now_."

"And why not?" He asked, slowly pushing her backwards towards the bed.

"Because!" She sputtered. "I still have boxes to unpack! I can't just leave them lying around. This place will get messy before you know it." Mugen leaned down, pushing her on the bed and grazed the tip of his nose against her neck, earning a soft sigh from her.

"I think it can wait…"

Fuu rolled her eyes before laughing at the ticklish feeling she was getting from his advances. She sighed contentedly as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him on top of her. After what felt like hours to Fuu, Mugen bent down and pressed his lips against hers, softly but with passion. She smiled against his lips and began to kiss him back, pouring every bit of her heart into it. Her fingers were knotted into his messier than usual hair, and she felt _perfect_.

She was his and he was hers.

And she wouldn't have it any other way.

_Fin. _


End file.
